A Cardinal's Tune
by MyHandsADolphin
Summary: Follow the story of Jane Duval and her adventures, or misadventures, with the Glee club of Crawford County Girl's School, a.k.a Dalton's Sister school. What mischief will these girls stir up, and how will they get themselves out of it?
1. In Which Crawford County Is Introduced

Crawford Country Day School, also known as the sister school to Dalton Academy, stood as a daunting building surrounded by a thick forest. Year in and year out, privileged girls from privileged families joined the school, learning the arts and sciences (as only a private school can offer), along with home economics and musical theory.

Naturally, a Glee Club had been started six years ago, as an attempt of rebellion against musical theory and not the practice, but it had soon became wonderfully popular and became a tradition. To follow the ways originally set by Dalton, the girls affectionately called themselves the "Cardinals", but no official names had ever been given.

They did not compete; frankly, they were good enough in the girls' opinion, and no one truly desired to become competitive because, naturally, women were too refined for competition.

This year (but one did not truly know yet), the Cardinals would become something they had never been before, led by someone who truly did not know what she was doing, if she was doing anything at all.

Straightening the last pleat of her plaid skirt, Jane Duval walked out of her mother's wonderfully cool car and into the sweltering sun. The campus of Crawford Country Day School stood in front of her, intimidating the blonde girl; she took a deep gulp and gave an unsteady wave to her mother, who waved back and drove away. Now, Jane was alone.

She supposed that she could be thankful that she was a Duval. Her family did, after all, have a wonderful name, and thanks to her brother, girls would be _begging_ to be her friend.

Because there was the infamous list of "Dalton's Most Desirable", an annual poll depicting the cutest (and hottest), boys at Dalton Academy was ready to be updated, and Nick _was_ in the top five. Jane was certain that she had never used her brother to her own personal gain, but this would probably be the perfect moment. Suppose she could convince her brother to _maybe_playfully flirt with a few girls . . .

Some (Jerry), called her desperate. And she probably was; her family name was intimidating, and no parent wanted their child to befriend a _Duval_, because _her_ father knew everything about anyone. Nick had never seemed too concerned, but Jane was a naturally social person; unfortunately, she had no one to socialize with.

Luckily, she was now in high school. Her father had long decided that she and Nick would be attending Crawford Country and Dalton, respectively, but they had to spend elementary school and junior high in a normal public school, just to see how it was so that they were not shut off from the world.

"Good morning!" a small girl with curly pigtails greeted, catching Jane by surprise. Jane had never considered herself tall, but this girl was so petite it was adorable; she was full-figured, but not overly so. Her brown hair hung in perfect curls, and she unintentionally batted her long eyelashes in some sort of endearing way. "_Please_ tell me that you're a freshman!" she pleaded, and Jane could only nod in response. "Perfect! I'm Bridgette, by the way."

Bridgette was such a wonderful name, and Jane could only wonder why her parents had not named her something creative. Honestly, Jane was a boring name, much like her brother had been given a dull name. They were bland names for bland people (Nick was bland, anyway).

"I'm Jane," the blonde answered, eyebrow raising. Perhaps making friends wasn't as difficult as she had originally thought. "Um, do you know anything about Dalton?"

"Yeah! I'm excited to finally get to vote on the cutest one! I'm not for sure; I mean, Blaine Anderson's really cute, but that Jeff's not too bad-looking, either! Or, what about Nick?" the girl began excitedly rambling about how much she enjoyed each and every Warbler's appearance and the way they seemed to be so perfect when they sang. "What do you think?"

Jane did have to admit that Blaine _was_ pretty attractive, and she was jealous of her brother for dating Jeff (he still didn't think that she knew about the two), but _Nick_? He wasn't cute, not in the least bit; his hair stuck up in odd places, and his smile was weird. Not to mention that he was short but not in the sweet way that Blaine was. But if it made her popular . . .

"I know the Warblers," Jane said quickly, perhaps too quickly. "They come over to my house all the time." It was true - when her father wasn't around, the Duval home was the perfect place for acoustics. The boys came there whenever the school was closed or they were on break; she supposed that she was like the Warblers' mascot, in some ways. They all knew her and seemed to like her.

Bridgette stopped to stare in disbelief. "Did you just say that you _know_ Blaine Anderson?" she squeaked, beginning to jump up and down in excitement. "Could you introduce me, please? Oh, please!" The brunette's hair was bouncing in different ways, her pretty face becoming more and more distorted with giggles.

"Yeah, I could ask my brother, if you want," the other offered, trying to be as nonchalant as she could about having a brother in the prestigious Warblers. But Jane couldn't help but break out into a grin once Bridgette nearly broke her ankle landing from one of her jumps. "Nick."

The girl wasn't moving now, and Jane was quite certain that she had said something horribly wrong. She knew her brother wasn't hot, but maybe he wasn't even cute. Maybe Bridgette only added him into her squealing because she pitied him and his horrible looks; everyone knew that Jeff was the hotter of the two, anyway, Jane reasoned (she'd have to remind herself to kill Nick and his terrible countenance later).

"Your brother is _Nick_?" The last word was emphasized in a sort of wonderful delusion. "Could you introduce me? He's only, like, the _second_ cutest, next to Blaine!"

So, Nick wasn't that bad looking, after all.

Jane nodded numbly, becoming only more excited that she had made her first real friend, save for Jerry, who was still in public school. The blonde absentmindedly began to toy with her hair, not wanting to look too thankful for having a new friend.

"That sounds good. Yeah, sure." Jane supposed that she should stop babbling at that moment.

Bridgette smiled widely. "By the way, are you going to be joining the Cardinals? I really want to, but I'm not sure if I'm a good enough singer. I have, like, the _highest_ voice in the world!" She pulled her hair back in a nervous sort of way, much like Jane did.

"I really want to; singing kinda runs in the family."

Jane began to think of her mother, the lovely Natalie Duval with the softest voice and loveliest dark hair that fell simply around her shoulders; her father, who had a strong bass voice, always seemed to be on a perfect pitch.

The two girls found a bench to sit on, each babbling incessantly about the thing that they were most excited for, concerning school. Bridgette was dreading gym class, as she wasn't the thinnest girl (Jane hadn't noticed because Bridgette's face was so sweet and pretty). Jane herself was terrified of math because she, unlike her brother, wasn't quite a natural mathematician. She did suppose, however, that she might be able to convince Blaine to tutor her into becoming a genius.

The bell, a large brass bell that chimed eight times, called school into order, and the two girls began to follow the large crowd of young women filing into the building.

And, as nervous as she was, Jane couldn't help but feel strangely at calm here, just like her brother and his friends felt safe at Dalton. She wanted to sing with her forgettable alto voice and perhaps be noticed for once.

**AN: Hey guys! So, yes, I have adopted this story from theAkuRokuFaNaTiC. I will be uploading the chapters they have written, then I'll begin on writing some of my own! :) I hope to get this story more popular and actually go somewhere with it. I do have one question, though: What would you like to see happen in the future? I already have some ideas, but I'd love to hear from you guys.**

**As always, I don't own anything GLEE, and please read and review! :)**


	2. Hayley Nicholson

It had been Hayley's habit to go for a jog at five o'clock in the morning since she had been fourteen; no one dared to wake up (voluntarily, of course), that early in the morning, and she knew for a fact that the girls of Crawford Country refused to get up any earlier than needed. Technically, she got up at four-thirty but only to get dressed and tie her brunette hair into a ponytail.

Hayley ran around a corner, enjoying the quiet beauty that the school grounds seemed to bring. The lush trees were still in full bloom, as school had only started a week ago. The pond at the bottom of a large hill was surrounded by a few sparrows, each bird looking for any sort of food. The teen stopped to catch her breath and nearly jumped at the surprise of almost running into another student. She was a young blonde with bright blue eyes and was rubbing her eyes tiredly. "I'm so sorry!" the girl said, just as shocked as Hayley was.

"No problem," Hayley replied, wiping a layer of sweat from her brow; she noticed that the blonde was already in her uniform and had her hair perfectly in place.

"I'm Jane, by the way."

Jane, as she called herself, offered her hand, and Hayley took it rather hesitantly. "Hayley." She didn't want to say too much and quickly retracted her tanned hand.

"Are you going out for a run? My brother does that all the time. Sometimes, he and Jeff go out for a jog together, but they always take _way_ longer than when Nick goes by himself," Jane was now rambling and had to stop herself to keep from going overboard.

"Yeah. Listen, I have to go." Hayley attempted to walk away but noticed the disappointed look spreading across Jane's face; the brunette took a deep sigh and could only offer a small smile.

To be nice, Hayley led the young blonde to a nearby park bench, and the two sat down. They still had two hours before classes started, and Jane seemed to be rather nervous about something. "Does your brother go to Dalton?" she asked, doing her best to start some sort of conversation. Jane's face lit up.

"Yeah; he's a Warbler." And then, the excited look left her face just as quickly as it had came.

"Is there a problem with that?"

Jane put her head down, biting her lip in thought. "No; he's a really good singer, and he tried super hard to get into the Warblers, but now I'm really worried that _I_ won't get into the Cardinals. I don't even have a song put together, and auditions are _Thursday_. I have two days to get a song that I don't even know yet!"

Hayley couldn't help but feel sorry for this girl. She thought about her brother highly but seemed to be less than composed. "You should use a song that's close to the heart," she replied thoughtfully. Hayley had never considered joining the Cardinals; there was nothing important about them and, truthfully, it just seemed like a bother.

"But I have a good life! My mom and dad love me a lot, and I have the best big brother in the world!" Jane seemed distressed by her perfect existence, and Hayley couldn't help but snort in response. "Are _you_ trying out?"

The brunette stopped in the middle of her chuckle, about ready to reply with a steady 'no'. She had never considered performing solely to please others. Performing was about pleasing one's self. People didn't join Broadway for the fans; they performed to make something of themselves. Hayley had watched Broadway since she had been a baby until she was eight. Never once in her recollection had her mother directed a Broadway show to make an audience happy. It was to make her performers look good.

"I haven't given it much thought," Hayley replied slowly. She didn't want to answer with a negative answer, but she knew that she would never think of auditioning anymore after this. "Stagelife isn't that glamorous."

Jane's eyes shot up. "Really? Nick loves being a Warbler because everyone's watching you. It makes everyone happy to see them sing. But that's because Blaine's singing." The blonde seemed lost in her reverie at the thought of the lead Warbler; Hayley was quite tempted to roll her eyes but decided to be good-natured about it. As good-natured as she could be, of course. "Have you ever performed?"

Hayley hesitated, breath catching in her throat. She glanced down at her hands and began clenching and unclenching her hands. A small part of her wondered how someone whom she had just met had asked such a personal question, even if it was unintentional.

"Yeah."

"Really? Was it local productions, or something? I was in my church's Christmas play once, but I messed up on the solo." Jane's face lit up at the obviously tough memory; she seemed very self-conscious.

"No."

"School?"

"No."

The blonde huffed. "What else could it be? It's not like you were on Broa-" her voice caught mid-sentence, and Jane's eyes flew to Hayley's blue ones. "You were on Broadway?" She was practically screaming now, and the brunette had to shush her to keep from getting the attention of everyone else (not like there _was_ anyone else).

"Not really."

It wasn't a complete lie. In fact, she had never truly performed, but she had been on stage. Hayley could still clearly remember when her mother always took her on stage after a successful performance. It was one of the many perks that one received when their mother was a Broadway Director. But that was a past far behind her, and Hayley wasn't sure if she even missed it.

Jane said nothing more, only making a light humming noise in response. The blonde looked to her backpack and opened it, pulling out a neatly folded paper. It was a cherry red piece of copy paper with thick, black lettering.

**CRAWFORD COUNTRY DAY SCHOOL IS PROUD TO HOST THE ANNUAL TRYOUTS TO JOIN THE CARDINALS! PLEASE COME BY THURSDAY WITH YOUR SONG!**

The over-analytical part of Hayley noticed every fault that the paper held. For starters, it looked like it had been written by an overly-excited cheerleader. This cheerleader didn't even add a date. Jane held the paper out to Hayley, who hesitantly reached for it.

"I have it memorized. I want you to at least try."


	3. Ava Jessica Wright

"A five, six, seven, eight!" the overly-peppy voice of the head captain of the Crawford Cheer Squad called. Leslie's long, blonde hair was pulled into a tight ponytail, as was every other girl in that twelve-man squad. Each young woman was trying to keep a forced smile onto their face, though it was rather hard when it was the first day of practice.

And in this squad stood Ava; she took a quick huff of air before continuing with the routine, already accustomed to the grueling practice. Her blonde hair bounced about with each jump, excusing every new Freshman that happened to bump into her. They were new, after all (and Ava liked to _not_ think about last year, when she had been the bumbling Freshman).

But never, in a single practice, had a Freshman from outside the cheer squad completely derailed the routine. No one had paid much attention to the students that ran frantically up and down the outside flight of steps. Not even Ava, who paid attention to almost everything (or so she liked to think), didn't see the petite brunette run halfway down the steps and stumble, bringing her backpack and another student with her. A scream from a nearby Junior was heard first, and then Ava felt contact against her hip; that must have been the backpack. The blonde stumbled slightly and nearly rolled her ankle in the process. She wiped a piece of stray hair from her face and glanced at the rest of the cheer team. Leslie looked furious, her brown eyes seeming to bore into the tiny brunette that had caused the disruption.

"I'm so sorry!" the brunette screamed, hands over her face in a shocked expression; the girl that she had taken with her was so close to laughing it was hysterical. She was a blonde with blue eyes (Ava could relate), and was nearly the same height. She'd probably make a good teenager.

Leslie stood to her full height, flipping her hair in the process. "Seriously? Did you trip over _air_?" Her voice was loud and screeching; the blonde and brunette both looked surprised, but the blonde could only put a hand over her mouth to silence herself. The brunette whimpered.

"Could you do that again?" Ava giggled; in hindsight, it really wasn't that big of a deal. No one had been hurt, and Ava's hip wasn't even in pain; Leslie hadn't even gotten hit with anything.

The brunette's head whipped up. "Huh?" she asked, dumbfounded beyond belief. Her long hair had fallen into her eyes, and she hadn't even tried to do anything with it. Ava wanted desperately to do something with it, and she said so. "Huh?" the brunette repeated.

"It's not a big deal. We needed a wake-up call, anyway. I'm Ava, by the way," the blonde held out a nicely manicured hand to the brunette, who took it hesitantly, then to the other blonde.

"B-Bridgette," the petite girl replied, wiping a tear from her eyes. Her eyes were large and innocent, and Ava wanted to just scoop her up into the biggest of bear hugs; she was practically famous for her wonderful embraces (that, and her fierce beauty; but who kept track?).

"Jane," the blonde said, "Duval."

The cheer squad quieted in a moment's notice, and Ava could hardly keep her mouth from dropping open into an unattractive 'O' shape. That didn't stop some of the other girls from doing so, even the high-and-mighty Leslie; in fact, her face was the most unappealing.

"You're a Duval?" Ava asked first. The blonde's memory immediately fell back to her watching the Warblers perform. It had been last year, and it was during the Dalton-Crawford Country Mingle Day. Blaine Anderson had been so dapper, so attractive when he sang Katy Perry. Ava was instantly certain that he _must_ be gay; no man could look so good whilst singing a female pop star's song and be straight. And, when he began to start acting and dipped Nick Duval into a fake kiss, it was quite apparent. That didn't keep Ava from going crazy about the performance; it was breathtaking.

Jane cursed under her breath, and Bridgette looked quite shocked at her friend's choice of wording. "Yes," the blonde muttered, placing a hand on her hip - the most stereotypical cheerleading pose. "My brother is Nick." She seemed to get the next question out of the way before anyone could even begin to mention it.

"Do you know Blaine?"

"Have you ever kissed a Warbler?"

"Is your brother gay?"

"Is he really in a relationship with Jeff?"

The last question was Ava's. She was, admittedly, a person who loved everyone, including gay people. It didn't matter who they were; they deserved love. And Blaine Anderson and Kurt Hummel were in love. They were perfect together, and everyone knew it.

"Enough questions! Practice is over!" Leslie called, leading the pack of girls with her. Ava, however, remained; she didn't want to leave without knowing that Bridgette was in fact okay. The brunette really did seem shaken up after Leslie had exploded at her (which was natural - Leslie was _definitely_ a scary person when she was mad; she was scary all the time, actually). And everyone knew that Leslie had only left because she wasn't the one getting all the attention that she desired.

Ava huffed under her breath. She definitely knew what it was like not to get attention, and she was used to it. Some people didn't understand what it was like just to _not_ be noticed. Which is why she became a cheerleader - people _had_ to watch them.

And, yeah, she was pretty good at it, too. Ava was petite and thin and could get every move down perfectly once she had learned it; she was peppy enough to be a leader and planned on being captain once Leslie had graduated. But she wasn't one to brag. Not _all_ the time.

"You okay?" Ava asked Bridgette, feeling quite sympathetic for the brunette.

"I'm okay. She's really scary."

That was one way to put it. Ava smiled. "Yeah, she is. But it's okay. You get used to it. Just be glad that she's not holding auditions for the Cardinals."

Jane quirked an eyebrow. "Then who is?"

"The Warblers, naturally!" To this answer, Jane's face fell; the blonde groaned and buried her face in her hands - probably because her brother would have a say in whether she got in or not. "Are you auditioning?"

"Yes," Jane and Bridgette answered simultaneously. "Are you?"

Ava stopped to consider this. She hadn't been too keen on joining the Warblers, yet these two girls seemed honest enough. Perhaps a bit of performing (along with cheerleading), might not be that bad of an idea.


	4. Summer Weston

It took a while to wipe the horrid dust from the leather sofa, but Summer eventually decided that it was clean enough to sit on; the brunette took one last wary glance at the furniture before sitting down, humming in contentment at the comfortable seat. She took a look around the room, the Cardinals' common room (much akin to the Warblers' common room), and grimaced - it was still dusty from being unused in the summer and desperately needed a few good dustings. She had signed herself up for the task, seeing as she was the only one who refused to sit in a dusty room.

That was Summer. She was a neat-freak (self-proclaimed and rumored), and always managed good grades. Being athletic was a good escape from the need feel orderly at all times, but one couldn't waste their days away playing lacrosse.

The room was practically empty, only being occupied by Summer and the couch, a small coffee table and a ragged carpet. Yes, Crawford Country was a very prestigious school, but their Glee Club required much work. And by much, that meant a _lot_ of work. The room could use a bookcase or two, or maybe even another table. _Something_ to add style. Summer closed her green eyes, trying to imagine the room full of girls, full of laughter and singing and voices mingling and furniture, and it was lovely.

Auditions were Thursday, only two days away. The room had to be clean before then, or Summer would refuse to even _step_ inside the room. The teen opened her eyes and bit her lip in worry. It was a lot of work, and considering classes, she _might_ not have enough time. There was already going to be a quiz in Chemistry on Wednesday, and she had to study for that. It was too much, and she might not succeed in her endeavors.

Summer, though, was the type to refuse defeat. She never liked to give up, even if it _was_ the obvious choice. She wanted this Glee Club, _needed_ it to happen. Without lacrosse, she would have nothing to keep her attention and would have nothing to use as an excuse for her parents. Clubs took a lot of time and hard work, the Weston family knew that, and they would _have_ to give Summer a bit of leeway so that she could devote her attention to a commitment that she had made. But the room was still so messy.

She didn't notice the door open, despite the whining noise accompanying the creaking door. Then when she heard a gasp, Summer's eyes snapped open at the sight of two girls, a blonde and a brunette. The brunette looked terrified, but the blonde only looked surprised.

"Why is there someone in here?" the brunette asked, eyes darting to the blonde; she began to bite her lip in a similar worry that Summer had just had and turned to walk out the door. The blonde, in a bored sort of manner, reached out her arm to grab the petite brunette. "Jane, she probably doesn't want to be bothered! We can find somewhere else to practice!"

Practice? As in, _singing practice_? Summer sat up from her position and smiled lightly; she tried to look cordial, though it seemed rather hard considering the spastic girl. "Are you trying out for the Cardinals?" she asked, her voice almost foreign. It seemed odd that she, of all people, would be asking other people if _they_ needed help for something. "This room has _great_ acoustics!" She would know; Summer had used this room several times to test her range.

"We don't want to bother you, but that would be great," the blonde smiled, flashing a white smile. She seemed to be a Freshman, though she looked a bit older. Perfect, there was another perfect person in this perfect school. But Summer didn't say anything in a negative manner. "I'm Jane, by the way. Jane Duval." The blonde, Jane, seemed upset that she had given her last name, though Summer couldn't figure out why.

"Summer. Summer Weston." She smiled once Jane laughed at the imitation. Then, the brunette glanced over at the timid girl who still seemed as awkward as awkward could get. Summer was short, yes, but this girl was just tiny. And she was cute, what with her curves and wavy hair. "And you are?"

"Bridgette."

Last names were apparently unneeded with this girl. Summer smiled and motioned for the two girls to follow. "If you want the absolute _best_ acoustics, you have to go to this corner. Unless, you _don't_ want the echo effect, then you have to dull the noise in _this_ corner." Eventually, she was leading the two girls around the room in a frenzied manner, giving off details of every part of the tiny room. Bridgette was enjoying herself, though Jane seemed a bit disgruntled.

"You spend a lot of time in here, don't you?" Jane asked. "Wait, do you sing a lot?" Her voice was excited now, interested in the conversation.

Summer felt her face heat up in the slightest bit of embarrassment. All eyes were on her, as she always had hoped they would be (from her parents, specifically), but now it felt awkward and odd. And strange. And bizarre. And possibly foreign. All those different emotions that all meant the same thing.

"Yeah; I practically _live_ here in my spare time. But they're going to be using this room as the auditioning place for the Cardinals, and I have to get this clean!" She stopped and grabbed a lemon-scented cleaning wipe from and dusted the coffee table for the fourth time that day. "It's a small room, and it's pretty empty, but I think that we could seriously do something amazing with it! The cheerleaders could definitely do some damage!" She glanced up at the Freshman, both of whom looked rather pensive about something.

Jane opened her mouth to say something, but Bridgette beat her to it. "I need some help practicing for my audition song for the Cardinals, so we'll help you clean up if you make me a better singer. Please, please, _please_?" She had her hands clasped in an over-dramatic sort of manner that was pretty much endearing.

Summer's thoughts began passing through her head so quickly that she could hardly keep them sorted; and that bothered her to no end because she couldn't deal with unsorted things. Never. "Yeah, sure. I'd love to."

Love was an understatement. Let it be known that Summer Weston was actually helping someone other than herself. And it felt great.


	5. Bree Sullivan

Classes were quick and painless, and for people like Bree Sullivan, one might find it quite easy to jump back into the never-ending cycle that is school. Perhaps there are a few bumps along the road (but only a few), but she still managed to get back into gear. So, while lunch is a miracle for most girls, Bree only found it as a lovely opportunity to catch up on _Pride and Prejudice_. There is only a few more chapters left in her book, but she couldn't seem to focus on anything else until finishing her novel.

Bree turns the page, completely engrossed in her book, until she heard what could possibly be known as the most pitiful scream in all the world. Then a slamming noise. Then an audible gasp. Without looking up, she began to think of things that might have happened to whoever it was that emitted such an odd noise.

However, curiosity got the better of her, and the blonde looks up, stifling a giggle at the sight. A poor brunette lay on the floor, uniform jacket smeared with ranch dressing from her salad. Some sort of dark drink was staining her pleated skirt, and she looked close to tears. Beside her, a blonde is covering her hands over her mouth in utter shock (her lunch was probably the forgotten tray delicately placed on a nearby table). Other girls are starting to stare, and a few cheerleaders are outright laughing.

Reason Number One why Bree refused to be a cheerleader; she had that sinking feeling that she would become one of those snobs. No, not all cheerleaders were mean (like that Summer girl), but she felt as if it would be foolish to even take the chance. So she didn't.

Bree returned to reading her book. If it had been her that had tripped (and she didn't put it past herself to stay on her feet all the time), she would've preferred to be unnoticed instead of pitied. Still, she couldn't help but feel for this poor brunette. She was young and emotional-looking, and it might've been different if she were anyone else - like a cheerleader. But, as the aptly-named pun says, "Freshmeat", not Freshman. She chanced the opportunity to dart her blue eyes in the direction of the brunette; she was bravely getting back on her feet, ignoring the jeers of others and looking quite thankful at the sympathy of her friends.

The blonde picked a few napkins from a nearby dispenser and ran after her friend, leading her to the table that happened to be the farthest from the cheerleaders. Or, as Bree liked to call it,_her_ table. The two girls scurried there, and the blonde looked almost hopeful.

"Can we please sit here? Just long enough to get her cleaned up?" Beside the blonde, the brunette sniffed; she was done trying to look admirable, and her pink cheeks were flaring up even more. Bree nodded slowly, almost surprised that the two girls were still there. She didn't like to think herself anti-social, but people in the Drama Club tended to be introverts; that's what made them great at performing.

Bree loved the Drama Club; she was the girl that did all the cute stunts onstage that people in the audience could only _dream_ of performing. That was the thing that she loved most - it gave her a chance to be noticed but not long enough for people to gain an opinion.

"Thanks," the brunette piped up, taking that opportunity to sit down and begin wiping away at her jacket. Bree glanced down at her bottle of water and picked up a wad of napkins. Uncapping her drink and dabbing some of the liquid onto the napkins, she gently blotted at the poor girls' jacket. Both the brunette and the blonde seemed pleasantly surprised at the act of kindness.

Bree couldn't help but smile; they were positively endearing. "You can use the water, if it'll help." Already, the jacket was beginning to look as it had right before the alleged incident. The other blonde nodded and picked up the water bottle. "I'm Bree, by the way."

"Jane," the blonde replied, not looking up from the brunette's skirt that she was dabbing at; the pop was a little harder to work at, but she eventually managed to make something presentable. The brunette sighed in obvious relief.

"Bridgette. Hey, Jane, you should tell her what you last name is!" the brunette said in a singsong manner, showing off her sweet smile. Jane blushed brilliantly and hid her face in her hands.

Bree found it odd that the two were making such a big deal of Jane's last name but decided not to dwell on it. Yet. Then, Jane's face lit up. "Well, since we've been doing it pretty much all day, we have to ask - are you planning on joining the Cardinals?"

Auditions were Thursday, Bree was well aware. She had marked the date on the calendar in her dorm room; she nodded at the question. "I just hope that it doesn't conflict with other things."

"Like?" Bridgette asked, seeming to be quite interested.

"I'm in the Drama Club, too. And Gymnastics." Yes, she had a lot on her plate, but the Sullivan family preferred to keep it that way; it was fun and exciting, and it tended to keep one on their feet at all times. Bree wasn't too concerned.

She noticed the brunette's eyes widen in a curious sort of manner. "As in, acting?"

"Yeah. It's great."

Bridgette seemed to mull something over in her head. "How did you join?"

"It doesn't take anything to join, but you have to try out for the plays. The tryouts for the school play is next Wednesday."

And she looked away to mark the page in her book, not quite noticing the wheels seeming to turn in Bridgette's mind.


	6. Emerald Young

The dorm rooms of Crawford Country had been divided according to age. And, as a light green head of hair bobbed its way toward room 108, Emerald dragged her bag behind her. She stopped in front of the door, adjusting her bag so that she could pull out the room key from her pocket. It _was_ an old school, after all. The metal key went into the lock, and the girl smiled in satisfaction at the 'clicking' sound. She turned the handle and walked inside the room, admiring the two four-poster beds. The room was empty (for now, she thought ruefully), which meant that she had first pick of the beds. Emerald chose the one closest to the adjacent balcony, drawing the curtains as she did so.

As a Freshman, she could only wonder who else would join her in the room. A part of her was anxious, the other was nonchalant. Emerald reached into her bag and was rewarded with her i-Pod Docking Station; she plugged the black cord into the wall and then plugged in her white i-Pod.

Closing her eyes as a soft rock melody began to drift throughout the room, Emerald allowed her mind to wander. She couldn't say that she was _ecstatic_ about being sent to a boarding school, but it did manage to keep her from home and from all the constant yelling. Yes, her parents fought; no, she didn't want any pity.

Actually, she couldn't say that she wanted to talk to anyone at all; people weren't exactly her favorite things in the entire world. That didn't mean that she was _so_ above them - Emerald just wasn't sociable.

The door made a clicking sound, and green eyes darted towards the door. An average-sized blonde walked inside the door, sighing in exhaustion as it closed behind her. When the blonde opened her blue eyes, Emerald couldn't help but think that she looked a little older than a Freshman. She _had_ to have had attractive parents, because this girl wasn't that hard on the eyes.

The blonde looked up and smiled. ''Are you my roommate?'' she asked, placing an expensive-looking suitcase on the floor. It had ''Jane'' stitched in beautiful letters on the front. Emerald nodded wordlessly and returned to the music. Cute or not, this girl seemed to be the stereotypical rich girl that cared about no one else, if her suitcase said anything about her.

''I'm Jane,'' the blonde offered, holding out a perfectly manicured hand out. To be polite, Emerald took it and gave one shake, muttering her name under her breath. In response, Jane asked, ''Like the mineral?''

Emerald, mineral - it made sense. The green-haired girl (dyed, no worries), nodded, reaching over towards her i-Pod and turning it off. It seemed that she wouldn't be able to spend the night listening to her music. What a shame. ''Emerald Young.''

''Jane Duval. Might as well get that one out while I'm ahead.''

Duval. As in, the most perfect _Nick_ Duval? Emerald didn't find herself much of a fangirl (because she really wasn't), but Jeff Sterling and Nick Duval were practically _famous_ at both Crawford and Dalton. They were the two boys that seemed to cause trouble yet never got caught (or if they did, no one cared enough to punish them). Jeff was the tall blonde with the gorgeous eyes and boisterous personality. Nick was shorter and brunette and the more quiet of the two. Not quiet, but more quiet. ''Hmmm.''

Because Emerald could play it cool like that. Jane seemed relieved that there were no more questions and settled herself on the bed by the door. ''It's a really pretty room,'' she mentioned, slipping out a bejeweled cell phone from her bag. There were a few plinking noises caused from her texting, but the room was otherwise silent. ''Do you mind if I make a phone call?'' she asked, motioning towards her phone.

Emerald nodded absentmindedly, scrolling through her i-Pod.

''Hey, Nicky!'' Jane squealed, settling herself into a cross-legged position that was _so_ un-ladylike. ''I finally got myself settled at Crawford! And, I actually made a new friend! I know! She's, like, really short! With really long brown hair! It's like you as a girl! You know I'm right,'' the girl paused for a few moments, as it seemed that the person on the other end was talking. ''I want to, but auditions are Thursday, and I _still_ don't have the right song picked out! I'm so nervous! Bridgette's already ready! What if Blaine decides that I'm not good enough?'' The rest of the conversation went like that, and Emerald was nearly banging her head against the bed frame in wait for the dialogue to end. ''I love you, too. And Jeff! Bye-bye!''

Wait, Nicky? Jeff? She really _was_ a Duval. Huh. ''Sorry about that,'' Jane started, edging herself a little closer to the side of her bed, ''I had to call my brother because I'm _super_ nervous about Cardinal try-outs. My brother's a Warbler, so I bet that he'll mess me up on purpose!''

''Imagine that,'' Emerald deadpanned.

''I'm not that good of a singer, but I've practically went the last two years listening to the other guys in my brother's room sing during the summer. So I thought, why not? You know what I mean?''

''Yep.''

Still, even with Jane's very quick and very intrusive rambling, Emerald couldn't help but think that maybe Jane had something with those try-outs. She still had two days to get a song together, after all, and she _knew_ that she was a pretty fine singer. Besides, clubs were required; and it was either Glee Club, or Knitting Circles.


	7. Auditions, Part 1

The Crawford Country Day School's choir room was unlocked by the school janitor at seven o'clock. By eight, at least ten girls had filled the room. No, it wasn't a lot, but it had been better than last year, Warbler Blaine observed, when two girls had come only at nine. He, as the lead singer, led the group of boys into the common room, greeting each and every girl that happened to be there. Naturally, none could manage to keep from cracking a smile at the blonde seated in the front row; she was Nick's little sister, after all. Jane waved nervously at the boys, catching her brother's eye. In return, Nick raised one eyebrow and sat beside Jeff, who was chatting it up with two cheerleaders.

The room had pale, yellow walls; a worn piano stood in the middle of the room, and to the left was an array of green chairs. The Warblers sat there, as it was really the only place to sit (besides sitting close to the ten hopefuls). There were no posters to decorate the room, only white tiles on the floor. Blaine could only hope that at least _one_ of the girls would have the decency to clean and refurbish the room.

Taking his place in the front of the year (and not daring to sit down), Blaine cleared his throat loudly. He managed to gain four girls' attention, and they began hitting their friends to alert them to a change of action. ''We, the Dalton Academy Warblers,'' he began uncertainly, ignoring the crack of his voice, ''would like to thank all of you young women for joining us in the audition,'' the curly-haired Warbler stopped to find the right word, ''process. Um, I suppose we'll just start with whoever wants to go first! Who wants to go first?'' The all-boys choir glanced around the entirety of the room, looking for at least one brave soul that would put their voice on the line first.

A hand shot up, revealing a brunette with long, curly hair pulled back into loose pigtails. She had a light dusting of freckles across her cheeks and nose, pink cheeks, and a height that made Blaine feel like a giant; she was plump but not without being adorable. This girl _had_ to be a Freshman.

Because, yes, Blaine noticed these sorts of things about girls (he was gay - he had nothing to fear. The brunette shot up, brown eyes filled with a certain fear. ''Can I go first?'' she asked, dusting off imaginary residue from her skirt. The boys nodded in agreement, each acknowledging a sort of bravery in the short girl.

As per tradition, she pulled out a CD from a pink case. ''Do we have a, you know-''

And now Blaine felt stupid. Wes jumped to his feet and pulled out a boom box, ducking his head in embarrassment. ''Please continue, miss-''

''Bridgette!'' she squeaked in a high-pitched voice. ''Okay, this is my audition, and I hope you all enjoy it!'' The song started softly, and Blaine furrowed an eyebrow, looking towards Kurt (the one who knew pretty much _any_ song that any girl would like); the countertenor shrugged his shoulders gently, returning his attention to the singer.

_Notice me; take my hand . . ._

_Why are we strangers when . . ._

_Our love is strong . . ._

_Why carry on without me?_

Her voice was high and untrained, but there was something sweet and angelic about it that made Blaine's heart feel the slightest tug. He couldn't deny that her voice might not be the greatest, but it was heartfelt, and that was what made a show choir. Right?

_Every time I try . . ._

_To fly, I fall . . ._

_Without my wings . . ._

_I feel so small . . ._

_I guess I need you, baby . . ._

_And every time I see . . ._

_You in my dreams . . ._

_I see your face . . ._

_It's haunting me . . ._

_I guess I need you, baby . . ._

_I make believe that you are here . . ._

_It's the only way I see clear . . ._

_What have I done . . ._

_You seem to move on easy . . ._

_And every time I try . . ._

_To fly, I fall . . ._

_Without my wings . . ._

_I feel so small . . ._

_I guess I need you, baby . . ._

_And every time I see . . ._

_You in my dreams . . ._

_I see your face . . ._

_It's haunting me . . ._

_I guess I need you, baby . . ._

_I may have made it rain . . ._

_Please forgive me . . ._

_My weakness caused you pain . . ._

_And this song is my sorry . . ._

_~ Ohhh . . . ~_

Blaine, along with the rest of the Warblers, smiled lightly when she looked to them for any sort of impressed (or disgusted), expressions while she held the note. Bridgette took a deep breath (something that she would have to work on, naturally), before continuing.

_At night I pray . . ._

_That soon your face . . ._

_Will fade away . . ._

_And every time I try . . ._

_To fly, I fall . . ._

_Without my wings . . ._

_I feel so small . . ._

_I guess I need you, baby . . ._

_And every time I see . . ._

_You in my dreams . . ._

_I see your face . . ._

_It's haunting me . . ._

_I guess I need you, baby . . ._

Bridgette ended the song, her cheeks flaming red. She looked to Wes, then Blaine, then the rest of the Warblers before practically running to her seat. No one said anything for a few moments before Kurt (the little saint that he was), started clapping loudly. ''You are like the soprano Tina Cohen Chang, you little angel!'' he said enthusiastically, standing up. ''She's a Cardinal, right? Right?''

Blaine wasn't quite sure who Tina was (he figured that she was from McKinley), but it seemed like a compliment enough for the girl to burst into a small giggle.

A beat of silence passed before Wes cracked into a soft smile. ''Well, I don't think we can say no, can we? I would recommend, of course, on learning to hold out your notes a bit stronger. But that's always something that can be improved.''

The brunette giggled softly, clutching onto Jane's arm excitedly. ''You have to go next!'' she whispered, nudging the blonde's arm. Jane shook her head, eyes wide.

''Next?'' Thad asked, glancing around the room. A head of chocolate hair with blonde highlights rose from the back, and a blue-eyed girl stared expectantly at the boys. She was tanned and physically fit, it seemed; average height with a pretty face - a nice nose, clear skin, and sculpted eyebrows.

''I'm Hayley, and this is my CD,'' she explained, picking out her CD from a clear case labeled 'Hayley'.

_I'm happy, so happy it seems . . ._

_In my mind . . ._

_I can fake it . . ._

_I can fake everything . . ._

_Drifting, drowning, slipping away from myself . . ._

_Everyday I misplace me . . ._

The song was sad, horribly so, and Blaine couldn't help but feel the slightest bit of pang at his heart. This girl seemed so put-together, so stoic and straight-faced. First glances would let anyone know that she was the type of person to keep their head held high at all times, no matter what they said or did to her. But she was a terrific singer with a strong voice; that part was undeniable. Someone _had_ to have given her some form of formal training.

_Where do I fit in?_

_What's my role in this world?_

_Where can I breathe . . ._

_When everything I say seems to be the wrong thing?_

_I am broken, choking on the air . . ._

_I'm lost; rip me open . . ._

_See what might be there . . ._

_'Cause I don't know who I am . . ._

_Who I am . . ._

_Am I happy?_

_Is that what you see?_

_I can't find what's inside of me . . ._

_Where do I fit in?_

_What's my role in this world?_

_Where can I breathe . . ._

_When everything I say seems to be the wrong thing?_

_I am broken, choking on the air . . ._

_I'm lost; rip me open . . ._

_See what might be there . . ._

_'Cause I don't know who I am . . ._

_Drag me down . . ._

_Take me out . . ._

_Don't let me show you my soul on a dare . . ._

_~ Ohhh . . . ~_

_But still I just can't hide from myself anymore . . ._

_Like I'm not really here . . ._

_So now I gotta be . . ._

_What's inside of me . . ._

_Deeper than the stars pull my heart . . ._

_What is good enough?_

_Do I measure up?_

_I can hear me now . . ._

There was something so genuine about the way she was singing, and Blaine looked to his friends for any sort of opinion written on their faces. Wes, as usual, was unreadable. David had one eyebrow quirked but nothing else. But there was no denying the fact that this song seemed to fit the Warblers. They were just a group of teenagers that had no true idea of what they were really doing.

_I am broken, choking on the air . . ._

_I'm lost; rip me open . . ._

_See what might be there . . ._

_'Cause I don't know who I am . . ._

_I don't know who I am . . ._

_Who I am . . ._

_I am broken . . ._

_I am broken . . ._

_Take me out . . ._

Hayley's voice faded out as she took her seat, not daring to look at the rest of the boys. Without prompt, Thad jumped from his chair and began clapping (not as quickly as Kurt had, but still). ''I think we now have _two_ Cardinals! Guys, we may have a bit of competition for Regionals,'' he noted gently, nodding in an approving motion. ''That is, of course, if you guys can get twelve members. Which I kind of doubt will happen.''

For a small second, Hayley allowed the sweetest of smiles to cross her face; it was a crack in a well-built armor, Blaine observed thoughtfully.

He was starting to feel good about this. He turned to Kurt, who, seeming too excited for his own good, said, ''Next!'' And, to mimic Kurt, a blonde with blue eyes popped up from her seat, gesturing to her sparkly pink CD case with glittery letters on it. ''Um, can I borrow Bridgette for the first part of this song?'' she asked, gaining a nod from the Asian Warbler; it was always good to intrigue Wes. ''I'm Ava Jessica Wright, by the way.''

Bridgette smiled and strode over to the blonde; she seemed to have already learnt her part in the song and sat gracefully onto one of the green chairs in the room. Ava handed her CD to Trent, who eagerly placed it into the boom box. The rest of the Warblers turned their bodies so that they could see the performance.

''Elphie,'' Ava started, her voice high and sweet, ''now that we're friends, I've decided to make you my new project!''

Feigning annoyance, Bridgette stated softly, ''You really don't have to do this . . .''

''I know; that's what makes me so nice.''

There was a few keys played by the piano on the CD, and Blaine tried to hide a smile as he saw Kurt's body straighten in anxiousness. That boy loved two things - scarves and _Wicked_.

_Whenever I see someone . . ._

_Less fortunate than I . . ._

_And let's face it - who isn't . . ._

_Less fortunate than I?_

_My tender heart tends to start to bleed . . ._

_And when someone needs a makeover . . ._

_I simply have to take over . . ._

_I know - I know exactly what they need . . ._

Ava was very exaggerated in her performance, as expected by someone trying to do justice to Kristin Chenoweth's spectacular performance. She knew when to start sounding like she was in too much control of the situation, and she also knew how to pretend to catch herself. She was amusing, simply stated.

_And even in your case . . ._

_Though it's the toughest case I've yet to face . . ._

_Don't worry; I'm determined to succeed . . ._

_Follow my lead, and yes, indeed . . ._

_You . . . Will . . . Be . . ._

Kurt seemed more excited than he had in along time, and these were only the auditions. Laughing into his hand (but not at Ava - she was great), Blaine turned his attention back to the song.

_Popular!_

_You're gonna be popular!_

_I'll teach you the proper ploys . . ._

_When you talk to boys . . ._

_Little ways to flirt and flounce . . ._

_Woo!_

_I'll show you what shoes to wear . . ._

_How to fix your hair . . ._

_Everything that really counts to be . . ._

_Popular!_

_I'll help you be popular!_

_You'll hang with the right cohorts . . ._

_You'll be good at sports . . ._

_Know the slang you've got to know . . ._

_So let's start . . ._

_'Cause you've got an awfully long way to go . . ._

_Don't be offended by my frank analysis . . ._

_Think of it as personality dialysis . . ._

_Now that I've chosen to become a . . ._

_Pal, a sister, and advisor . . ._

_There's nobody wiser . . ._

_Not when it comes to . . ._

_Popular!_

_I know about popular . . ._

_And with an assist from me . . ._

_To be who you'll be . . ._

_Instead of dreary who you were . . ._

_Uh, are . . ._

_There's nothing that can stop you . . ._

_From becoming popular . . . lar . . ._

Everyone in the room elicited a small chuckle at the girl's exaggerated mistake. Ava seemed to thrive off a crowd and only got stronger.

_~ La, la, la, la . . . ~_

_We're gonna make you pop-u-lar . . ._

_When I see depressing creatures . . ._

_With unprepossessing features . . ._

_I remind them on their own behalf . . ._

_To. Think. Of . . ._

_Celebrated heads of state . . ._

_Or specially great communicators . . ._

_Did they have brains or knowledge?_

_Don't make me laugh!_

_They were popular!_

_Please, it's all about popular!_

_It's not about aptitude . . ._

_It's the way you're viewed . . ._

_So it's very shrewd to be . . ._

_Very, very popular like me . . ._

Summer stopped to take a breath and glanced at Bridgette. ''Why, Miss Elphaba,'' she said in the sweetest of tones, ''look at you. You're beautiful.''

''I - I have to go,'' Bridgette replied, running back to her seat and holding back a giggle.

''You're welcome . . .''

_And though you protest . . ._

_Your disinterest . . ._

_I know clandestinly . . ._

_You're gonna grin and bear it . . ._

_Your newfound popularity!_

_Ah!_

_~ La, la, la la . . . ~_

_You'll be popular . . ._

_Just not quite as popular . . . as . . . me!_

Ava was out of breath when the song ended, and she only nodded once before sitting back in her seat, glancing curiously at Wes. ''Well?'' she asked impatiently.

''Welcome to the Cardinals,'' the Asian answered. Kurt looked quite pleased with the performance and settled himself in his chair. ''Alright, who's next to the slaughterhouse. Or, auditions. Whichever way you wish to put it.'' Despite the smirk on Wes' face, even _Blaine_ wasn't quite sure if his friend was joking.


	8. Auditions, Part 2

Blaine rubbed his hands together awkwardly. ''Okay,'' he started, ''who's next?'' A sort of awkwardness had fallen onto the girls until an olive-skinned girl with chestnut hair raised her hand. She had her hair pulled back into a neat ponytail; reaching into her purse, she pulled out a CD case with neat handwriting (her name was apparently 'Summer W.'. Blaine stepped to his left to allow the girl to give Wes her CD.

Taking a quick glance at the girls, Blaine frowned. There weren't enough of them to compete; they needed twelve girls, and while the Cardinals weren't exactly known for their competitive streak, it was still hard to know that you couldn't compete because you weren't allowed.

That was the hard part.

The music started, and 'Summer W.' took a deep breath. ''I'm Summer,'' she said in a voice that Kurt would later say reminded him of the more controlled side of Rachel Berry.

_Love of mine, some day you will die . . ._

_But I'll be close behind . . ._

_I'll follow you into the dark . . ._

_No blinding light or tunnels to gates of white . . ._

_Just our hands clasped so tight . . ._

_Waiting for the hint of a spark . . ._

The Warblers glanced at each other nervously. Blaine had that strange feeling that something, anything, was going on with each and every girl in this club. Some sort of insecurity or stigma? Maybe just pressure and stress? Bridgette and Ava seemed fine - Ava's song was happy, and Bridgette was just like Bubbles from the Powerful Girls. But Hayley and now Summer?

Then again, Blaine reminded himself, sad songs do not make for a sad person. Much like happy, Katy Perry songs do not mean that you have skin-tight jeans (Blaine had one or two pairs), and a boyfriend to share those jeans with.

Nick and his sister were catching each other's eyes; Jeff was trying to get into the eye conversation, though he only managed to wiggle his eyebrows suggestively. The rest of the girls were trying to to listen to the song and keep from laughing.

_If Heaven and Hell decide . . ._

_That they both are satisfied . . ._

_Illuminate the 'NOs' on their vacancy signs . . ._

_If there's no one beside you . . ._

_When your soul embarks . . ._

_Then I'll follow you into the dark . . ._

Summer's voice was pretty and organized, much like the rest of her. Her uniform was impeccable and seemed to have been nicely ironed (Blaine remembered that he was in desperate need of an ironing board - perhaps Kurt could help).

Speaking of, the countertenor was watching the auditions with the utmost of attention. His blue eyes were wide and excited, as if he had never seen anything like this. Then again, considering New Directions, they let anyone who auditioned in. That meant that auditions were pretty much nothing.

_In Catholic school, as vicious as Roman rule . . ._

_I got my knuckles bruised by a lady in black . . ._

_And I held my tongue as she told me . . ._

_"Son fear is the heart of love" . . ._

_So I never went back . . ._

_If Heaven and Hell decide . . ._

_That they both are satisfied . . ._

_Illuminate the 'NOs' on their vacancy signs . . ._

_If there's no one beside you . . ._

_When your soul embarks . . ._

_Then I'll follow you into the dark . . ._

The 'eye conversation' was now over, and the girls were watching their fellow classmate with the attention that every girl deserved. These girls, all of them, were prim and proper; they would be like their parents, stuffy and strict and pompous. This was the blessed curse of Dalton and Crawford. They could go to a safe environment, yet they had their entire futures planned ahead of them. Kurt was the happy exception - he only came to Dalton as a last resort. These girls, this was their outlet.

They _needed_ this Glee Club.

_You and me have seen everything to see . . ._

_From Bangkok to Calgary . . ._

_And the soles of your shoes are all worn down . . ._

_The time for sleep is now . . ._

_It's nothing to cry about . . ._

_'cause we'll hold each other soon . . ._

_In the blackest of rooms . . ._

_If Heaven and Hell decide . . ._

_That they both are satisfied . . ._

_Illuminate the No's on their vacancy signs . . ._

_If there's no one beside you . . ._

_When your soul embarks . . ._

_Then I'll follow you into the dark . . ._

_Then I'll follow you into the dark . . ._

Jeff was the first to start clapping. His blonde hair bounced as he jumped from his seat. The rest of the boys followed, and Blaine nodded approvingly. ''I don't think that we have one bad singer in this entire room!'' he announced proudly.

Summer's green eyes widened with something that seemed like surprise, and then she smiled; her white teeth, her brown hair, her tanned skin. She was certainly something, and Blaine could only wonder why she seemed so surprised with all the praise. Summer practically skipped back to her seat.

''Next!'' David called.

Jane's hand shot up. She threw back her blonde hair and shot Nick an anxious glance as she gave Wes her CD. Everyone knew Jane, everyone loved Jane, but they couldn't just brush her talent off. Of course she was talented; she was Nick's little sister (if Blaine had to pick anyone to replace him as soloist, Nick'd be his first pick - not that he was ready to give in too quickly).

''Jane Duval.''

The music started, a soft little piano at first, and Blaine furrowed his brow. Jane was the type of girl who was obsessed with everything pop and happy. This did not seem to be such.

_She walks to school with the lunch she packed . . ._

_Nobody knows what she's holding back . . ._

_Wearing the same dress she wore yesterday . . ._

_She hides the bruises with the linen and lace, oh . . ._

Oh, no. Blaine felt that horrible feeling of all the heat rushing to his face. Sure, audition songs were know to usually be from the heart; the Warblers didn't work like that, but most people were supposed to pick a song that meant something to them. Did it have to be _this_ close, though?

He refused, _refused_ to look over at Nick. He supposed the tanned brunette wouldn't be looking so tan right then, but it would be rude to stop Jane in the middle of her song, right?

_The teacher wonders, but she doesn't ask . . ._

_It's hard to see the pain behind the mask . . ._

_Bearing the burden of a secret storm . . ._

_Sometimes she wishes she was never born . . ._

_Through the wind and the rain, she stands hard as a stone . . ._

_In a world that she can't rise above . . ._

_But her dreams give her wings and she flies to a place . . ._

_Where she's loved . . ._

_Concrete angel . . ._

Her voice was louder during the chorus; Jane was naturally an alto, yet she worked to heighten her range and hit the notes that were the hardest.

The rest of the Warblers were tense; they had loosened up during the last song, and now they were back to tense. New rule: never pick a song that actually means something to you. It only asks for more trouble than you can handle.

_Somebody cries in the middle of the night . . ._

_The neighbors hear, but they turn out the light . . ._

_A fragile soul caught in the hands of fate . . ._

_When morning comes, it will be too late . . ._

_Through the wind and the rain, she stands hard as a stone . .._

_In a world that she can't rise above . . ._

_But her dreams give her wings and she flies to a place . . ._

_Where she's loved . . ._

_Concrete angel . . ._

Jane was about to continue her song when Nick got up from his seat. He bolted from the room, and Jeff ran after him; if one listened closely, one would hear the faint yell of Jeff's voice, calling for Nick to come back.

The blonde girl made a move to run after her brother, but Blaine shot her a firm glance. He knew Nick, and he knew for a fact that Nick would only allow Jeff to talk him down. Jane knew what she wanted to do, but she decided to do what she needed to. And let Jeff continue with what _he_ needed to do.

_A statue stands in a shaded place . . ._

_An angel girl with an upturned face . . ._

_A name is written on a polished rock . . ._

_A broken heart that the world forgot . . ._

_Through the wind and the rain, she stands hard as a stone . . ._

_In a world that she can't rise above . . ._

_But her dreams give her wings and she flies to a place . . ._

_Where she's loved . . ._

_Concrete angel . . ._

Jane stopped as she walked back to her seat, and Blaine couldn't even recall himself saying 'next', but he did remember seeing a pale girl with blonde hair and blue eyes that nearly startled him. The girl eyed the Warblers nervously before handing Wes her CD and waiting for the music to start. Blaine could only be lucky that it was a song by a woman that he happened to share many songs with. The girl said that her name was Bree Sullivan before starting to sing.

_Summer after high school when we first met . . ._

_We make out in your Mustang to Radiohead . . ._

_And on my 18th Birthday . . ._

_We got matching tattoos . . ._

_Used to steal your parents' liquor . . ._

_And climb to the roof . . ._

_Talk about our future . . ._

_Like we had a clue . . ._

_Never planned that one day . . ._

_I'd be losing you . . ._

Blaine smirked at the song. Katy Perry was his jam, obviously, and he couldn't help but feel light-hearted, despite the dilemma that had recently occurred considering Jane's song. He glanced at the rest of the Warblers; Trent was obviously enjoying the array of songs that had been sung, and Thad was just watching with his sort of amused expression (but it was hard to tell if one didn't know Thad).

Wes and David were appraising the group of girls. They were diamonds in the rough, so to speak. Some shone brighter than others, while a few just needed a bit of polishing. Each and every girl was lovely in their own way. Some were athletic, some were more feminine, and some were just mysteriously beautiful. Despite being gay, Blaine knew when a girl was beautiful - he knew that the girl that loved to call Kurt a dolphin was beautiful, and her Latina friend was plain gorgeous. And their blonde friend/enemy? She was a knock-out.

Kurt had said that the three had referred to themselves as the 'Unholy Trinity'. Enough said.

_In another life . . ._

_I would be your girl . . ._

_We'd keep all our promises . . ._

_Be us against the world . . ._

_In another life . . ._

_I would make you stay . . ._

_So I don't have to say . . ._

_You were the one that got away . . ._

_The one that got away . . ._

Bree was singing in a way that was so _not_ Katy Perry. But it worked - she was the more put-together Katy Perry, yet she seemed to have the girls on the edges of their seats. Because he was not from Crawford (thankfully enough - they were more strict than Dalton), Blaine wasn't quite sure of the social ladder. He was quite certain that Ava was a pretty cheerleader, and Bree appeared as if she knew her way around the school. But then there was Hayley, and she didn't quite seem to be ''Miss Congeniality''; Summer didn't seem to be too different.

Yet, Blaine respected and admired these girls. They had the courage to do what he could not. Blaine wasn't the type to stand out amongst crowds, but all the girls (different as they were), had come together on one day to do what they loved the most. Perhaps this was the start of a new something.

_I was June, and you were my Johnny Cash . . ._

_Never one without the other, we made a pact . . ._

_Sometimes when I miss you . . ._

_I put those records on . . ._

_~Whoa . . .~_

_Someone said you had your tattoo removed . . ._

_Saw you downtown singing the Blues . . ._

_It's time to face the music . . ._

_I'm no longer your muse . . ._

Kurt was mouthing the words to the song - and he managed to make Blaine start it, as well. Soon enough, all the Warblers were humming along. Then, Trent started in with the killer background, and could you really deny it? The CD player was turned off, and everyone was singing or humming. And when Ava leaned her head on Summer's shoulder, Blaine knew.

Katy Perry had the capability to bring any group of people together.

_But in another life . . ._

_I would be your girl . . ._

_We'd keep all our promises . . ._

_Be us against the world . . ._

_In another life . . ._

_I would make you stay . . ._

_So I don't have to say . . ._

_You were the one that got away . . ._

_The one that got away . . ._

_The o-o-o-o-o-one . . ._

_The one that got away . . ._

Bree smiled along with the rest of the girls and started the bridge of the song. She fully expected the boys and the girls to do the backup for this part, and who were they to deny her?

_All this money can't buy me a time machine . . ._

_~No . . .~_

_Can't replace you with a million rings . . ._

_~No . . .~_

_I should've told you what you meant to me . . ._

_~Whoa . . .~_

_'Cause now I pay the price . . ._

As the song started to wind down, Nick sauntered back into the room; Jeff followed soon after. The brunette was frowning but raised an eyebrow at the two groups. Jeff, on the other hand, decided to follow in the music and pulled his very close and rather intimate friend to the Warblers' side of the room.

_In another life . . ._

_I would be your girl . . ._

_We'd keep all our promises . . ._

_Be us against the world . . ._

_In another life . . ._

_I would make you stay . . ._

_So I don't have to say . . ._

_You were the one that got away . . ._

_The one that got away . . ._

_The o-o-o-o-o-one . . ._

_In another life . . ._

_I would make you stay . . ._

_So I don't have to say . . ._

_You were the one that got away . . ._

_The one that got away . . ._

Bree finished the song and blushed gently. She pushed a strand of hair away from her face and kept a straight face as she sat down beside Jane. ''I think you've got your competition for Regionals,'' she told Blaine matter-of-factly. The lead Warbler scoffed in a good-natured sort of way.

''If you can win Sectionals.''

''We will,'' Hayley assured.

''Next?'' Wes asked, and all eyes turned to the hand that raised. It belonged to the green-haired girl with green eyes. Blaine took a deep breath as he gestured for the girl to come forward. She handed her CD to Wes and stood in the center of the room.

''I'm Emerald Young.''

Green eyes? Green hair? Emerald? That makes perfect sense.

_There's a fire starting in my heart . . ._

_Reaching a fever pitch, it's bringing me out the dark . . ._

_Finally I can see you crystal clear . . ._

_Go 'head and sell me out and I'll lay your ship bare . . ._

_See how I leave with every piece of you . . ._

_Don't underestimate the things that I will do . . ._

Adele was the perfect way to showcase one's talent. Honestly, the song was perfect for her voice. And Blaine could almost look past the bright green hair to just focus on her voice. Unfortunately, Emerald's hair was _really_ bright, and Blaine did like green. But then his mind started to conjugate a most devious of ideas. This girl, Emerald, didn't seem like she really wanted any sort of backup.

Which is why the girl, all the girls, had to learn to be team players. They had to learn that a good Glee Club is not made of one voice (despite New Directions' ideas), but in fact made of many voices. The backup is just as important as the lead (though Blaine wasn't quite sure who would be picked to be lead of the group). They weren't efficient enough to have a council yet, nor were any of these girls willing to give up their own spotlight for another; or so it seemed.

_There's a fire starting in my heart . . ._

_Reaching a fever pitch . . ._

_And it's bringing me out the dark . . ._

_The scars of your love remind me of us . . ._

_They keep me thinking that we almost had it all . . ._

_The scars of your love, they leave me breathless . . ._

_I can't help feeling . . ._

_We could have had it all . . ._

Blaine whispered something to Nick and Jeff and was met with two eager faces. The three sang the backup and watched as Emerald's eyes darted towards them. She didn't give them an unkind look, more like a surprised look.

_~You're gonna wish you never had met me . . .~_

_Rolling in the deep . . ._

_~Tears are gonna fall, rolling in the deep . . .~_

_You had my heart inside of your hand . . ._

_~You're gonna wish you never had met me . . .~_

_And you played it, to the beat . . ._

_~Tears are gonna fall, rolling in the deep . . .~_

The rest of the Warblers were now singing, each of them standing up to grab a girl from across the room. Jeff cut Nick off and took Jane's hand, smiling as the other blonde gratefully took his hand. Nick rolled his eyes and held out an arm for Ava; the cheerleader giggled and placed a hand on his shoulder - she wanted to waltz. Kurt took Bree's hand, and the fellow pale teen accepted wordlessly.

Blaine sauntered towards Hayley and held out a hand; the girl stared at him but took it; she didn't smile, so Blaine smiled for her. Just to spite her. 'Cause someone needed to learn to crack a smile. Trent and Bridgette were both awkwardly looking at their feet, and the lead Warbler started formulating some sort of relationship that might or might not happen in the near future. Wes and Summer, both orderly, were dancing carefully; David decided to dance with the singing girl, even as she stared at him with a look that just dared him.

_Baby, I have no story to be told . . ._

_But I've heard one on you . . ._

_And I'm gonna make your head burn . . ._

_Think of me in the depths of your despair . . ._

_Make a home down there . . ._

_As mine sure won't be shared . . ._

_~You're gonna wish you never had met me . . .~_

_The scars of your love remind me of us . . ._

_~Tears are gonna fall, rolling in the deep . . .~_

_They keep me thinking that we almost had it all . . ._

_~You're gonna wish you never had met me . . .~_

_The scars of your love, they leave me breathless . . ._

_~Tears are gonna fall, rolling in the deep . . .~_

_I can't help feeling . . ._

_We could have had it all . . ._

_~You're gonna wish you never had met me . . .~_

_Rolling in the deep . . ._

_~Tears are gonna fall, rolling in the deep . . .~_

_You had my heart inside your hand . . ._

_~You're gonna wish you never had met me . . .~_

_And you played it, to the beat . . ._

_~Tears are gonna fall, rolling in the deep . . .~_

No one was quite sure what the main dance was. Some were waltzing, some were doing a salsa dance, and some were just jumping. Blaine decided that, despite the song, this was fun. He liked the whole dancing experience, and he supposed that the Cardinals needed to get their sexy on. And, when Nick dipped Ava, the rest of the Warblers joined in with the fun.

_Could have had it all . . ._

_Rolling in the deep . . ._

_You had my heart inside of your hand . . ._

_But you played it, with a beating . . ._

_Throw your soul through every open door . . ._

_Count your blessings to find what you look for . . ._

_Turn my sorrow into treasured gold . . ._

_You'll pay me back in kind and reap just what you've sown . . ._

The girls were singing the lead, the Warblers were singing the backup. It was a battle of dominance, it seemed. Jeff twirled Jane, and the blonde turned her body to turn him as well. Blaine softly asked if Hayley wanted to be dipped, and she only nodded wordlessly; she seemed nonchalant, and Wes was having no better luck.

Kurt and Bree were actually having a bit of fun. Kurt was smooth and suave, and if his looks weren't so feminine, Blaine might've though that he was straight. Looking over, Trent dipped Bridgette, laughing as the short brunette squeaked in surprise. Emerald sang the loudest, trying to get past David's hold. The black boy refused to budge, his smirk only growing.

_~You're gonna wish you never had met me . . .~_

_We could have had it all . . ._

_~Tears are gonna fall, rolling in the deep . . .~_

_We could have had it all . . ._

_~You're gonna wish you never had met me . . .~_

_It all, it all, it all . . ._

_~Tears are gonna fall, rolling in the deep . . .~_

_We could have had it all . . ._

_~You're gonna wish you never had met me . . .~_

_Rolling in the deep . . ._

_~Tears are gonna fall, rolling in the deep . . .~_

_You had my heart inside of your hand . . ._

_~You're gonna wish you never had met me . . .~_

_And you played it to the beat . . ._

_~Tears are gonna fall, rolling in the deep . . .~_

_We could have had it all . . ._

_~You're gonna wish you never had met me . . .~_

_Rolling in the deep . . ._

_~Tears are gonna fall, rolling in the deep . . .~_

_You had my heart inside of your hand . . ._

_~You're gonna wish you never had met me . . .~_

_But you played it . . ._

_You played it . . ._

_You played it . . ._

_You played it to the beat . . ._

The song came to an end, and everyone stood there, breathing deeply, some sweating slightly. Blaine, taking charge of the situation, decided to say in his most confident voice, ''Congratulations. You are now the Crawford Country Day School Cardinals!''

his friend was joking.


	9. Melody Gonzales

Gym class. The worst class of the day. That is, of course, if you ask the more curvaceous population of Crawford Country. Twenty or so Freshman girls lined up to meet with the coach, a tanned woman with short, black hair with a curl. She had a mischievous glint in her eyes, and a certain Bridgette gulped loudly. She was short, well-endowed, voluptuous (if that was a kind way of putting 'chubby'); and she had always despised gym class. No one enjoyed getting picked last for the teams than she did, mostly because she knew exactly what it was like, yet the brunette had high hopes for this year.

Shifting her gaze, Bridgette jogged over beside Jane, who was talking to Emerald. It was more of a one-sided sort of conversation, Jane doing all the talking, but at least no one was being punched. Bridgette had never truly been punched, though she was quite certain that it couldn't be a very enjoyable moment. Instead of talking to her friend, Bridgette decided to leave Emerald some elbow room and slipped past a few girls who were discussing their new haircuts.

Bridgette's idea of a haircut? Two inches off and a new side-bang. Which looked pretty nice, by the way.

The short brunette found herself standing beside a tanned girl (not quite as tan as the coach, but better than Bridgette's pink skin), with dark brown hair and amazing blue streaks. It was the kind of look that Bridgette had always wanted but had never had the courage to get. She supposed that she could take Warbler Blaine's 'courage' mantra, but there was no way in the entire_universe_ that any pair of scissors was going to cut off more than five inches of hair. Nope. Never gonna happen.

Offering a small smile, the girl stayed where she was. Under most circumstances, girls moved away from Bridgette - they found her a bit of an embarrassment (so this tanned angel staying where she was kind of warmed Bridgette's heart). Both girls were short, not like the Freshman kind of short, just short. On any standard. Like, for instance, Bridgette had once been mistaken for a first grader when she was in third grade. By the first grade teacher.

She was kind of senile, anyway, but it still hurt. And Bridgette's old gym teacher? Told Bridgette to get herself some miracle growth.

Gym class may very well become her new favorite class. Bridgette cleared her throat, gaining the girl's attention. For a moment, Bridgette was caught in the girl's very blue eyes. They were a thousand times better than Bridgette's own brown ones. They were nice, she supposed, but they weren't blue. ''My name's Bridgette.''

Great first impression. What would she do if that were a boy? 'Oh, hey, I'm desperate for attention. Please just smile and try to pretend that I'm not crazy.'

The girl nodded shyly, muttering something under her breath that Bridgette caught to be ''Melody''. It wasn't every day that you meet an amazingly tanned girl with the same curves that you do, and she has pretty hair that you would kill for (with blue streaks), and the most gorgeous of blue eyes next to Kurt Hummel, and her name was _Melody_. How cooler could she get? And yes, Bridgette officially wished that she was a boy so that they could have a most epic Bromance. And this was getting a tad creepy.

''So, you new to this kind of thing?'' Bridgette asked, hoping that she wasn't being too intrusive, yet she figured that she was. If she had a Fatal Flaw, like in the _Percy Jackson_ series, it would probably be nosiness. Or shyness. Or over bubbly-ness. Or something like that. Maybe. ''You know, super private schools?''

Melody shook her head, already letting a small smile play her lips. Bridgette noticed then that her tee-shirt (they actually didn't have gym uniforms - go figure), had a picture of a pretty blonde mermaid with musical notes surrounding her. Bridgette looked down on her own tee-shirt (Charlie Brown - 'The Original Glee Club'), and grimaced. Sometimes, she had the style of a four year-old. Other times, her shoes were reminiscent of a history teacher. ''I've been home-schooled a lot, but I took a year of private school. It was nice, but the schools weren't as pretty as this one.''

It was true. Crawford Country was a beautiful school, almost as gorgeous as Dalton Academy, that reminded Bridgette of something from a British city. Maybe not Buckingham Palace, but still. ''I agree. There are a ton of things you can do here. I'm thinking about trying out for the Drama Club.''

Melody giggled, her voice sweet and high. She seemed like a singer, and by the way that Jane looked over with a hopeful expression (Emerald kind of did, too), Bridgette hatched a most wonderful of ideas.

''But I'm not _only_ going to be in the Drama Club.'' Taking the tanned girl's curious expression as a cue to keep going, Bridgette took a deep breath. ''Crawford Country is trying to resurrect our Glee Club and compete and stuff, but we don't have enough members yet. So, do you sing any?''

''Sometimes. A lot at home, in my room. Do you think they'd let me?''

''If they let me, they'd _have_ to let you.''

Melody smiled, her face happy and bright, as she stepped a bit closer to Bridgette. ''So, are we friends yet?''

Before Bridgette could squeal in delight, the gym coach blew her whistle; the Freshman girls of Crawford Country were informed that they would be walking the entire gym class, every Monday. If the coach passed you once, you'd be fine. If she passed you twice, you had to run steps (twelve horrid death traps - especially for those prone to falling), for ten minutes the next day.

So, despite gaining a new friend, a new possible member of the Cardinals, and a congratulation from both Jane and Emerald, gym would forever be Bridgette's most hated class. Wait until dodgeball.


	10. Stephanie Kallstrom

If there was one redeeming quality about Crawford Country Day School, it was the plethora of clubs. They had cheerleading, drama, chess, debate team, basketball, volleyball . . . It was a lot to choose from, and most girls would say that they loved each and every club they joined. Unfortunately, each student was required to join at least one club. This was to help one's social skills, or something of the sort. And if this wasn't bad enough, the school had started a club for _loners_. Yes, the people who wanted to be alone had a club.

Didn't see that one coming.

But for Stevie Kallström, the Rock Club wasn't that bad. Most of the girls weren't quite the socializing types, so everyone just kind of kept to themselves. Each day, a girl would bring in a CD of one of her favorite rock groups, and the songs would be softly playing for forty-five minutes. Occasionally, they would pay homage to a certain group or maybe even do a group project (like a rock collage), but that was about it.

And Stevie wasn't exactly Miss Prep. Sure, she wasn't an introvert, but she definitely didn't go out of her way to do some stupid cheerleading routine; she preferred to keep her purple iPod cranked up with her Skull Candy earphones and keep to herself. It was a good system, and she supposed that it would be wrong to change it.

Besides, rocker chicks were always cute.

Stevie pushed a strand of her black hair out of her face, keeping her eyes glued to her iPod screen. She didn't bother to look around at the rest of the room, as she figured that the rest of the girls were doing the same. Her pale fingers clicked to a new song, and she leaned back into her seat, wishing more than anything that the school (rich as it was), would invest in some new chairs, as opposed to the green plastic ones. The girl was just about to drift off into some nice Def Leppard when she heard the sound of chipper talking in the hallway. Looking out, Stevie noticed two girls (one with blonde hair and blue eyes, the other a brunette with dark green eyes, both short), walking by. The blonde was using large hand gestures to explain whatever her point was to the brunette, while the other rolled her eyes.

"So, I managed to get that Kurt Hummel's phone number from Jane - don't ask how - and I called him-"

''That's not creepy or anything."

"- Ignoring that. And I asked him what I should do about my wardrobe, since this school gives _no_ opportunity to truly express one's self - that's what he said." To prove her point, the blonde pulled on her gray skirt a bit. "And he said that the next time we get a day off, and since Dalton has the same days off that we do, he wanted to take a group of us shopping! He even said that he'd bring some friends from his old school! They're public school kids! Do you think they smell? I never got to smell Kurt."

The brunette seemed ready to take a punch at the blonde, but she kept her temper. Her green eyes were contemplative, as if she expected the blonde to keep talking merely out of habit. "I don't know; I'm not big on changing up my clothes. I feel just fine."

"You feel just - You feel just fine? No, you cannot feel just fine! You have to look amazing, at every single moment of every single day! So you, Summer, need it the most. Right after we convince Emerald to go back to her natural color. I bet she's a redhead. Redheads always want to change their hair color. Do you think Hayley will come with us? She's not much of a shopper, but I bet we could convince her. Especially Jane - she likes Jane. You know something, Summer, you are a great listener."

Summer, the brunette, didn't look like she was enjoying herself as much as the rambling blonde. But Stevie had to admit, both girls were incredibly cute. Yet they seemed so different. And Stevie knew who Hayley was, if she was thinking of the right Hayley. Somehow, a group of completely different girls came together to know each other. A group of pretty _cute_ girls. Making up her mind in an instant, Stevie took off her headphones and made her way to the door, ignoring the curious looks from the rest of the girls in her group.

The blonde, much prettier in person, was so into her one-sided conversation with Summer that she didn't even notice Stevie. Summer, however, did, and she offered a small smile and an annoying expression behind the blonde's back.

"Ava."

"Pink. I want a pink dress for our winter formal. What about you? I'm thinking red or green. But then you'll look Christmas-y."

"Ava."

"What do you think everyone else should wear? I vote that I coordinate our outfits for the winter formal, seeing as how I want the Cardinals to be singing for it. Oh my gosh, that is the best idea I have ever had! Right next to buying the half-inch curling iron. Don't these things look amazing?" Ava gestured to her blond curls; they bounced when she touched them.

The Cardinals. They were that Glee Club that had been started a while back but never really went anywhere. And despite the no-bullying policy that both Crawford Country and Dalton shared, there were a few people in those schools that wanted to smack the kids that joined.

"Ava Jessica Wright, there is someone behind us!" Summer finally yelled. She seemed shocked at her own outburst, as did Ava. Summer's yelling must not happen often.

Bouncing back like the cheerleader she most likely was, Ava smiled, showing off her white teeth. "Oh, can we help you with anything? I'm Ava, this is Summer. We're both Sophomores. You?"

"Stephanie Kallström. But you can call me Stevie. And I'm a Sophomore, too. Funny how we've never seen each other before."

Ava laughed, her voice sweet and high, but Summer didn't seem to think this very funny at all. She only smiled politely, seeming to be the more down-to-business between Ava and her. And who was to say that these two girls were not gay? And even if they weren't, a bit of shameless flirting was never truly a bad thing. "You're funny!" Ava said, smiling. "You know, we're in a singing group, kind of like your, uh, rock club." She seemed uncomfortable even thinking about rock music, but the way she and Summer looked at each other when she mentioned the singing club meant that they needed new members.

"Are you implying something, because I'd do anything for a pretty girl."


	11. Morgan Anderson

"Are you sure you'll be okay?" Such words were spoken by a very worried Blaine Anderson in regards to his younger cousin. The tanned girl beside him (also nearly his height), nodded, smirking at her cousin's concern. Blaine was a worrier, always had been, most likely due to his brother's incessant insults thrown at Blaine; it should be no different that Blaine would worry for Morgan's well-being. The green-eyed Sophomore rolled her eyes as Blaine checked her student schedule once more. "Alright, I'm going to be heading over to the choir room for a couple minutes to check up on a few things. Kurt here will take you to your first class."

To Blaine's left, a taller male smiled politely. Of course Morgan already knew the pale teen, but Kurt still felt the need to be extremely respectful around any sort of Blaine's family. Much like Blaine always worried about how Kurt's father felt about him. The two had been skirting around an obvious crush with each other for the longest time, and as much as Morgan found them adorable, she was kind of done with their joint-obliviousness to the other's attraction.

On that note, Blaine strode down the right hallway, greeting a few blushing girls along the way. It was his charm, Morgan supposed, that could make any self-respecting girl (and Kurt), go weak at the knees with a simple smile. And Morgan kind of wished she had that charm. She found herself a bit unapproachable to guys, and she wasn't necessarily 'out and proud' about her sexuality. Being gay was one thing, but being bisexual bothered even the gay community. And that was sad.

"So, you start off your day with a study hall. Very exciting," Kurt deadpanned, blue eyes trailing over the list that Blaine had entrusted to him; the pale teenager held the paper with the greatest of reverence, as if Blaine had spent some quality time with the gods.

Morgan laughed gently as she found herself walking her way up to the staircase, already enjoying the scenery that the school provided. "Which club do you think I should join?" She asked randomly, looking over at Kurt, who was observing the list of clubs offered. If anyone knew how to keep one's attention for more than a few seconds, it was Kurt. He had a way of staring off dreamily with this look of deep thought on his face - Morgan supposed that that was what Blaine liked about him, and the dark-haired girl found herself wishing for someone like Kurt.

"Don't go with Baking. I did that at my old school, bad idea. Home Ec is kind of like the same thing, so that's a no. Do you like chess? I spent two weeks at a chess club, and I absolutely loved it. But I had to quit because of the Glee Club, which was obviously so much better. Do you sing? You're an Anderson, of course you sing - we all saw that one coming."

The tanned girl didn't even have to say anything, for the pale teen already decided that for her. She was apparently meant to be in some sort of glee club. Thankfully enough, Kurt asked Morgan what other sorts of things she liked. It was decided that Morgan should try for either the Cardinals (a Glee Club), the drama club, or a sports team. Kurt smiled as he took a few sheets of paper from a large desk with "Club Sign-Ups" printed on it. Pretty self-explanatory. "Alright, so you need to go through these and decide which ones you want to join, fill them out, and you're set. So, how about that study hall?"

Walking through the hallways of Crawford Country was like a dream. So much different than a public school, and Morgan knew about both the good and the bad of a public school. She had been popular at one point, athletic, tons of friends, great grades. And then she came out as bi-sexual, and it was like her world had come apart.

It wasn't as if life hadn't sucked enough. For any teenager, but Morgan was a special case. She was glad that she didn't remember much of that incident, but it would forever shape her life. Her aunt and uncle, Blaine's 'loving' parents, had decided that the dark-haired girl with the large green eyes was a symbol of bad luck. And then, when she trusted her family enough to tell them of her sexual orientation, they decided that she was as diseased as her cousin. Which is exactly why she was marching her way up the staircase of Crawford Country. She had been sent away like a wild animal, much like Blaine.

Morgan and Kurt both stopped when they noticed a group of girls standing by the girls' bathroom. Each girl had messed up their uniform in some way. One girl, very pasty with cheaply dyed black hair, had a pack of cigarettes in one hand and an orange lighter in the other. Another, olive-toned and petite, thanked her supposed friend for one of the cigarettes. And the last in the group, a pale girl with dyed green hair and a slightly darker color look to her eyes, glanced over and froze. Looking over, Morgan noticed Kurt clench his jaw. The pale teen scrunched his nose in an uncomfortable sort of manner. "So, Emerald, how's it going?" He asked politely, grabbing Morgan's arm gently and leading her away. "I can see that you're making good use of first period."

The other two girls beside Emerald seemed confused, but the green-haired girl only shrugged. "It's okay," she answered simply; to be honest, Morgan didn't quite understand how or why Kurt knew someone like that, though the dark-haired girl only looked behind her back to watch the girls.

"I'll give you one hint," Kurt started, "don't ever smoke. Not that I've tried it, but Puck told me that it is a horrible idea, so just don't. Besides, you can find so many better groups than that one."

Morgan only smiled in response. Her uncle's house always smelled like cigarette smoke, and frankly, she was surprised that Blaine managed to keep the stench off of himself. She figured that it was because he spent as much time away from his house as possible. She wasn't quite sure why, but she figured that there was more to this school than smartly dressed schoolgirls with rich parents.


	12. Elizabeth Suzanne Carmichael

It was hard, between jumping every weekend from Dalton Academy to trying to keep up grades at

Crawford. Yet, Elizabeth Carmichael was determined. She wasn't that type of person to balk under

pressure. Lissie waved goodbye to her brother as he stood beside the building, wringing his hands

nervously. The twins were nothing alike - Lissie was tall and blonde and had those striking blue eyes that

could silence a room with one glare; James, on the other hand, was around the same height (yet short for

a boy), with chestnut hair and soulful brown eyes.

In truth, he was the striking image of his father, the deadbeat that left his family when things got tough.

When his wife and three children needed him the most, he just up and left. Left his wife to fend for her

family, working three jobs and hardly sleeping, his daughter to take care of her minutes-younger brother

and her sweet and autistic little sister. Sara was the light in the darkness - when she smiled, it just made

everything melt away. Every bit of pain and resentment that Elizabeth held for the world vanished, and she

would scoop up the tiny girl and hug her dearly. And for a few years, things were okay.

The came middle school. Lissie had already been teased for being tall, but that was okay; she could

slouch and get away with it. But James had a different story. He was picked on often for his reading

glasses, his shy personality, his _sexuality_. It hadn't meant to come out, but some stupid jocks had decided

to bully the poor kid into admitting he was gay. And he hadn't complained, not for a second, until James

had gotten pushed into a locker so hard that there were bruises littering his body. Mrs. Carmichael had

freaked out so badly that she immediately started looking into private schools.

So came Dalton Academy. And it just so happened that Lissie's grades made her eligible for a scholarship

from Crawford Country Day School. As Mrs. Carmichael would say, "Kill two birds with one check." Sara

had been heartbroken to realize that both her beloved siblings would be leaving, yet James had been sure

to assure his little sister that they would visit as often as they could.

Lissie promised the same thing to James. She knew how skittish her brother was, and she was

determined to see him as often as permitted. And it didn't hurt that he went to an all-boys school with

plenty of good-looking men.

As she walked, Elizabeth noticed the famous Blaine Anderson walking with an Asian teen and a brunette

with shockingly blue eyes. He was tall and pale and had that same look that James had. Scared and out of place and observant. Nearly bumping shoulders with the brunette, Elizabeth instinctively apologized. The brunette smiled sweetly and did the same. "Sorry, wasn't seeing where I was going," he said in a voice that just screamed 'musical'. Blaine held out his hand politely, and Lissie took it.

"Blaine Anderson. And you are?"

"Elizabeth Carmichael. I'm James's sister." At the mention of her little brother, Blaine's eyes lit up in recognition. "And you are?" Lissie continued, addressing the pale brunette.

"I'm Kurt Hummel. It's a pleasure to meet you. And, just so you know, James is an amazingly nice person. And he has great hair."

Blaine chuckled at his friend's comment. "He rooms two doors down from me. And it's pretty difficult, considering that he rooms with Nick, whose boyfriend likes to visit constantly."

"And by constantly," Kurt jumped in, "he means every single day."

Laughing at the boys, Lissie shouldered her purse farther up her shoulder. "I go to school at Crawford Country, so-"

"Do you sing?" Kurt and Blaine asked simultaneously, sharing a look with each other when they said it. They must have been a couple, Elizabeth mused, because they looked wonderful together, and they knew what the other wanted to say. Then again, if Blaine Anderson had a boyfriend, wouldn't word have gotten around by then? After all, he _was_ Blaine Anderson. Lead of the Warblers. King of Dalton Academy. James might've mentioned something like that.

Elizabeth furrowed her brow in confusion but nodded wordlessly. "At home alone. Why?"

"Well," Blaine started, "we've been trying to get your brother to audition for the Warblers because Nick said that he heard James singing once, but he refuses. Something about allergies," Kurt shot Blaine a strange look, "though I doubt that that's why he won't. Anyway, the Cardinals-"

"The Crawford Country Glee Club," Kurt interjected.

"Are looking for new members, and they'd love someone like you." Blaine gave a sweet grin that could make anyone melt, yet Elizabeth only raised one eyebrow.

The girl pushed a bit of dirty blonde hair away from her face. "Sorry, but I'm just not into that sort of thing. I just transferred, still trying to get used to everything. So, no."

Before Kurt could say anything, Blaine nodded knowingly. "I understand. When I transferred to Dalton, it was in the middle of the year, Kurt transferred in the middle of the year - it's hard to adjust. So don't worry about it, and thank you for visiting Dalton Academy."

Lissie gave the sweetest smile she could muster before turning her back on the pair with a confused expression on her face. It was odd, she thought, that Blaine had been so understanding when he had just been practically begging Elizabeth to join the glee club at Crawford. Perhaps the people at Dalton Academy _were_ really nice people.

Once he was sure that Elizabeth was out of ear-shot, Kurt turned to Blaine. "Normally, I trust your opinion on everything, but what was that? You just gave up."

Blaine smirked and pulled out his cell phone. "Kurt, have you ever noticed that brothers and sisters, most specifically twins, act alike?" The pale teen in question nodded his head slowly. "Well, if Nick heard James singing in the shower, then I think that Jane-"

"Nick's sister."

"I didn't notice that, but _yes_, Nick's sister - who is quite like her brother - will be fortunate enough to hear a certain someone singing in the shower."

Kurt tried to fight away the blush forming on his pale cheeks. "Blaine Anderson, that was . . . devious and mischievous." The brunette tried to keep the stray thought of _also sexy_ go through his mind.


	13. Delaney Nichols

"Delaney?"

A head of brown hair shot up at the mention of her name. Delaney Nichols smiled gently at her aunt, the one who was standing at the front of the room, yardstick in hand. It was odd, for a drama teacher, to be holding a device commonly used in a math classroom, but that was Aunt Marie. Quirky, strange, and slightly eccentric - but that's what made the school plays amazing. The teacher had her hair pulled up into a tight bun, without one dark fly-away. Two bright yellow pencils were skewered into her bun, and electric blue glasses framed the woman's face.

Aunt Marie - baby face but with a slim figure accentuated by black pencil skirts and colorful oxfords. Aunt Marie - bright blue eyes and long lashes that Delaney luckily inherited. Aunt Marie - the woman who could care a little less what one's sexual orientation was. As long as someone was happy, the drama teacher didn't mind.

"Yes, Miss Nichols?" Delaney responded. It was always funny when boys from Dalton Academy came to visit, and their eyes would immediately slip to the young teacher's left hand. When they noticed no band wrapped around Marie's ring finger, Delaney could almost hear the silent cheer the men shared. Dalton boys were always hopelessly taken with the women who wore extravagant clothing and make-up; that, or they were cougar bait. The saddest part, Delaney realized, was that they were proud of their statuproudly say that she was in a very happy relationship. Still single, still hoping, waiting for some lovely lady to whisk herself into Delaney's path.

Aunt Marie smirked with her flawlessly painted red lips. "I was just wondering if our class had any ideas for a future production. A musical, preferably. Any suggestions?"

Delaney looked around the room. This class happened to be an elective, meaning that all the grades could take it. Most of the girls in here were either hoping for a few good credits, or were part of the Cardinals (the infamous show choir that never got enough members to even _qualify_ for competition). At the front of the class was a blue-eyed girl with straight blonde hair and extremely pale skin. Beside her was a curvy and young-faced brunette, looking too energetic to be allowed. And beside the brunette was another blue-eyed blonde, yet she had a rather nice tan to her skin.

Opening her mouth, Delaney wasn't shocked to find that she could produce no words. Aunt Marie knew what happened when she got called on in class. What happens is Delaney becomes the deer in the headlights and makes strange choking noises as a pathetic sort of answer. Everyone turned to look at her, causing Delaney's face to light up like a Christmas tree.

Looking around for even the slightest bit of help, the dark-haired girl turned when a hand popped up. A black-haired girl with chesnut eyes and pale skin smiled as she said something that sounded like _Wicked_. Aunt Marie pursed her lips for a moment. "Alright," she said slowly, writing the word on the board in her curly cursive handwriting. "Do we have anything else, and before any hands shoot up, _RENT_ is not a possibility." _  
_

Delaney leaned over to thank the black-haired stranger, the angel of light, the savior of her sanity, and noticed that the girl was staring at her. "Thank you so much!" Delaney mouthed, pleased with herself once the girl gave her a thumbs-up.

A petite hand shot up not long after Aunt Marie/Miss Nichols threatened to remove fingernails should someone suggest _Grease_. Delaney recognized the hand as one of the cheerleader's. She was blonde with blue eyes (what, were the girls here genetically crafted out of cream cheese?) and wore sparkly jewelry to set her uniform apart from everyone else's. "Miss Nichols," she said in such a peppy voice that a tanned brunette with mossy green eyes cringed, "what if we performed something with the boys from Dalton Academy?" An echo of support came up from the classroom.

"Ladies," Aunt Marie started, "this isn't a production giving you an opportunity to assist you in forming a relationship with the leading man. Ironically, most of the men that would even _think_about starring in something like . . . _RENT _. . . would be perhaps a bit in tune with his feminine side. So, any ideas for a musical that could easily be transitioned into an all-girls play?"

The brunette at the front of the room raised her hand. "_You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown_?" There was a beat of silence before the cheerleader furrowed her brow sympathetically.

To Aunt Marie's credit, the woman did put the play's name on the board. "Well, Miss Stone, it _is _a musical, and Charlotte Brown could be a possibility, but perhaps the idea got away from you."

Bridgette, the brunette, turned bright red and buried her face in her hands, gaining a pat on both shoulders from the blondes on either side of her. A few girls turned to group up, trying to think of some sort of musical that they could put together. Delaney found herself sitting across from the black-haired girl that saved her sorry hide, and the green-eyed brunette who did not like the call of the wild cheerleader.

Miss Nichols watched from the front of the classroom, frowning gently. It was hard, with so many girls with so much musical talent. Yet, they were all too afraid to break out of their shells and become the stars that they were. So, yes, it was for a better idea that they should pair up with Dalton Academy for a musical. However, Marie Nichols was a woman who believed that ladies should be allowed to be their own stars. And changing the gender of a popular comic strip character was not going to help these girls in any way whatsoever.

"I'm going to give you girls twenty-four hours to decide on a good musical. And," the woman sighed, rubbing her temple, "if you can't think of anything good, I'm going to force you all to watch seven cheerleading practices." When a collective groan (and a few outraged shrieks from the cheerleaders), erupted, Aunt Marie smiled vindictively. "I feel like an amazingly sexy evil villain," she whispered to herself.


	14. The Flyer

Well, it had been a month.

A month since Jane Duval had stumbled into Crawford County School for Girls. The place where drama, love, tears and catfights appeared on every corner, every day. The place where _every single girl _seemed to have a crush on one Dalton Academy boy or another. How had it been so far for her, you ask?

Interesting, to say the least.

Let's start with the Glee Club. Or the Cardinals, as they preferred to be called. It had taken the girls a while to get used to each other, but eventually they all seemed to develop some self-control over their fighting. Or maybe they had just gotten lazy and couldn't be bothered coming up with new arguments each day. Either way, the arguments seemed to have calmed down a little. That was when their real personalities came out.

Emerald Young. Well, she certainly was an interesting one. You could probably be able to tell that by looking at her, with her bright green hair, darker green eyes and pale complexion. But her personality? Different, for sure. At first, she had just seemed like the kind of introverted, cold, loner type who smoked and drunk. And yeah, Jane had already figured out that the troubled girl must have experimented with that a few times. But as a Cardinal, she had begun to open up more. She seemed to be the kind of dorky, jokey girl who was a little misunderstood. Although, Jane still didn't quite know why she looked so tired all the time.

Then there was Haley. Haley Nicholson. Again, the rebel type. However, she seemed to be more so than Emerald, who had just dabbled from what Jane had gathered. Her reputation was, perhaps, a little intimidating, as was her disrespect for the rules. But she was funny. Hell, there was no doubt about that. She was always joking around, always pulling pranks or making impressions of certain teachers (Come on, Miss. McNaughton, who actually wore that much eyeshadow?). She was a little...competitive, though, always seeming to need the spotlight. They could, and would, work on that.

And then there was Bridgette, the girl Jane had met when she had first come here. The girl with the sweetest pigtails ever and the bright personality that never dimmed. She was very vocal too, though, unlike quite a few of the others who were quiet. Unless it came to solos of course, then they were louder than a firework display. Bridgette was a little more competitive than Jane herself, to be honest, but she was a good friend nonetheless, and she appreciated that.

Of course, Jane could _never _forget about Ava. Miss Jessica Wright, despite being short and petite, was a very determined one, wasn't she? Jane liked it. Perhaps it was because she wished she was more like that. More focused, more...certain. Ava seemed to have her whole life planned out. Her future was bright, while Jane's was fuzzy, to say the least. She was a great cheerleader, too, with an awesome voice as a bonus. But some of the comments that had come out of that soprano mouth of hers...well, they weren't the nicest. They always seemed to be instigated by other people, though, so maybe it wasn't as bad as it could be.

Summer, the girl with the seasonal name. Thanks to the chestnut-brown haired girl, the entire choir room had been organized, reorganized, then organized some more. She really was the only one who managed to keep them serious sometimes, fortunately, which meant the entire club hadn't dissolved into chaos. Yet. Jane had found a friend in her, though, even if it wasn't the best-buddy friendship most would want. But hey, you couldn't have everything, right?

Who's blonde, with dark blue eyes, and pale skin? Bree Sullivan, of course! The drama club junkie was another person who had to be credited with holding the club together. Being as calm and persistent as she was, Bree had managed to pull together (with the help of others) a rehearsal or two without getting her eyes clawed out or head gnawed off. Her and Ava, however, had seemed to become quite close, and Jane frequently saw them walking the halls together. The persistent pair, they had been nicknamed. It suited.

Melody! Jane couldn't help but love the tan, curvier-than-most girl with the blue streaks in her dark hair. She was bouncy, energetic, fun and most of all, _hadn't _made anyone cry at this school yet. She would like to think Melody was her closest friend so far, although they hadn't established that yet. She couldn't understand how the part-Cuban had been such a loner before. Maybe it was her autism, or perhaps her blood. Whatever it was, others had been stupid to ignore her for it. Melody Gonzales was just one big (not in that way) ball of fun-loving energy.

Remember Emerald? Turns out, there was someone she got along with. A little, at least. That person was Stephanie Kallström, the black haired, quiet rocker. Turns out, both Stevie and Emerald had a taste for the more guitar-filled side of music, and the two had almost immediately clicked. Stevie had gotten along with most of the other girls too, although mainly for the fact that she wasn't the biggest solo-hog. Yeah, that was how they worked around here. Judging by the rumors she had heard though, Jane was surprised the commitment-less girl had stuck around for so long.

Oh, and what about Lissie? Actually, it was Elizabeth, but it hadn't taken her long to state she preferred to be called by her nickname. Lissie was...well, she was a blender. The kind who preferred to dance to the beat of everyone else's drum, rather than their own. A cheerleader, a gymnast, plays soccer...your typical, athletic blonde. She wasn't, though. At least from what Jane had seen. She did have some spunk, some uniqueness. It just took a bit to come out, that was all. Really, though, it wasn't that hard to see that she was more than the dizzy cheerleader everyone thought she was. What ditz had straight A's, really?

And last but not least, there was Delaney. The girl who always seemed to freeze whenever she was called on in class. The girl whose aunt was the school's favorite Drama teacher. And the girl who no one knew anything about. Well, not really. She was just a little mysterious. Quiet (although that wasn't rare around here, clearly), but with one hell of a voice. Although she did need to work on her socializing skills a little more. Not the most charismatic in the group.

So, that was the Cardinals. A crazy bunch of mismatched girls who, somehow, formed a show choir. Not that they would ever get to Regionals, or even Sectionals for that matter. But a few concerts here and there, a few fundraisers, would surely keep them busy. And surely the school wouldn't mind the extra income. Even though it would probably all be spent on Drama Club props, musical instruments and that window that got smashed last rehearsal...

"Girls!" Looking up, Jane spotted Miss Nichols hurrying into the Auditorium, brightly colored skirt flowing behind her dramatically. The rest of the Cardinals also looked over to the Drama teacher, pulling themselves out of their stretching poses. They had been about to rehearse a new dance sequence, but that obviously wasn't going to happen now. Not with the black-haired teacher rushing up the steps, a flyer in hand. "Yeah, Miss. Nichols?" Melody spoke first, voice as bright and peppy as ever.

"I have some very good news for you girls," She said, holding the paper to her chest in such a way that it certainly didn't seem like she was a teacher.

"What is it?" Jane asked, looking as curious as the rest of the Cardinals.

"I've booked you a concert," She paused, allowing for the burst of hushed surprise, then continued, "It's going to be here. Small, I know, and you'll be doing it for free, but hey, I figured you could use some experience." She turned the flyer around, revealing what was on the other side. Printed in bold letters, surrounded by very summer-y colors, was:

**CRAWFORD COUNTY SUMMER FAIR**

_Come join the residents of Crawford County for a fair filled with fun, food, live music and good times!_**  
**

"Wow, Aun-Miss Nichols!" Delaney exclaimed, quickly correcting herself at the beginning. Miss. Nichols beamed, youthful face shining with the movement.

"I'll see you there, then. This Saturday, four o'clock," Her voice was prompt and she turned abruptly, leaving, taking the flyer with her. The moment she had left the room, all the girls erupted into excited chatter. It took at least five minutes before Summer could quieten everybody, with something very important to say, apparently.

"Look, girls, I'm as excited as you are," This started more chatter, which Bree quickly shushed, helping her friend. With a grateful smile, Summer continued, "But don't you realize something? It's Thursday, and we're about as prepared as a sack of potatoes. In fact, we're _less _prepared." This made the room go silent. You could hear a pin drop. None of them had thought about that, but Summer made a good point.

They had a lot of work to do.

**AN: Woohoo! The first chapter written by yours truly. I hoped you liked it. Please give me some feedback! :)**

**As always, read and review.**


	15. The Plan

Rehearse, rehearse, rehearse. That's all that had been on the Cardinals' minds since Ms. Nichols had shown them the flyer. The hours were filled with it, catfights and arguments over solos being replaced by singing and dancing, even if they were a bit out of time. By Friday afternoon, Jane was feeling fairly confident that they would get up on that stage and totally blow the audience's minds. Okay, okay, maybe they weren't _that _good, but at least they wouldn't get heckled. Not like what had happened to the McKinley Glee Club that time they tried to do a fundraiser. Oh yes, Nick had told her about that. Nick, who had heard it from Blaine, who had heard it from Kurt.

"Duval!" Jane was snapped out of her thoughts by the gruff voice of her history teacher, Mr. Jackson. He was a tall, balding man with pudgy, pink cheeks and eyebrows that always seemed to be furrowed. He was never in a good mood, ever, and most of the girls tried to avoid him when walking the halls. You could never escape his wrath when in History, though, and right now was bracing herself for the speech.

"What did I tell you about not paying attention?!" He began, taking a few steps toward her desk. By now, every eye in the room was on her. She could see Bridgette, whose desk was now behind Mr. Jackson, mouthing at her 'Good Luck'. Melody was biting her bottom lip with a worried look on her face while Emerald, who was sat beside her, was watching with an eyebrow half-raised. "You need to begin to take this seriously." He was closer now, moving through two rows to reach her desk on the third. Here, she could see his hazel-grey eyes, a disgusting color similar to that of mud. "I realize your brother is already a lost cause, but you, I expected more from you. I expected you to have at least some sort of future, Duval." His voice was growing into a hiss, and Jane had to stop herself from leaning away.

"Her name is Jane," Haley spoke up, breaking the silence that had fallen over the other girls. Somewhere in the room someone let out a surprised gasp, and immediately the situation got worse.

"I _know _what her name is!" Mr. Jackson exclaimed, bringing his fist down on Jane's desk with a loud thump. Everyone in the room, excepting him, jumped. He spun around on his heel and began to stride up the aisle again, speaking loudly as he did so, "All of you have no respect. Absolutely none. Rules, guidelines, rewards, bribery...they all have no effect. Do you not want to be here?" There was a snort of sarcastic disbelief from someone in the room. Jane was fairly sure it was Stevie. Mr. Jackson ignored it, however, instead reaching the front of the room and turning again, addressing them, "I have a good mind to put each and every one of you in detention. However, I won't. Instead Jane and Haley will face the consequences of their actions." There was a loud groan from Haley, but he continued, "Detention. This Saturday afternoon. I expect to see you there, or else."

Haley opened her mouth to protest, most likely with a finely worded speech on how unfair that was, but she was interrupted by Bree, who was seated at the back of the class, "But sir, we have a performance that day. They can't come."

"A performance?" He repeated, eyebrow quirking upwards as the corners of his mouth move slightly upward. _Oh god._

"Yes. We're part of the Cardinals, you see. The Glee Club. We're performing at the fair."

"And Jane and Haley are part of this group, 'The Cardinals'?" The small smile on his face was becoming even more prominent now. _We're screwed._

Bree nodded, "They need to perform with us. We won't be complete without them." _Here it comes..._

"Well that makes this detention all the more better," Mr. Jackson said, a mean glint in his eyes. "Perhaps missing out on their little 'performance' will make them think twice before misbehaving in class again." There were surprised gasps from Ava and Delaney, while the other Cardinals in the room went through several different stages of surprise and shock. Being the only class they had together, this had always been a perfect time for note-swapping and secret texting, but never had any of them thought they would be caught out for not paying attention. Brilliant.

Thankfully, the bell happened to ring right then and there. End of period, end of day. Every girl in the room stood up, shoving their books and other items into their bags in one sweep before hurrying out of the room in a very un-ladylike manner. Mr. Jackson attempted to say something to them, yelling something about homework over the noise of beating feet, but eventually he gave up, instead resorting to calling out over the buzz, "See you tomorrow, Haley and Jane!"

"Son of a bi-" Haley began in a low growl as the door clicked shut behind them, but she was interrupted by Bree.

"Haley! Shut it! You've already ruined basically everything with your loud mouth, we don't need you getting in more trouble for swearing!" Her voice was an angry hiss, but Haley just rolled her eyes as the group made their way to the auditorium, their normally loud chatter replaced by a low, tentative buzz. No one really knew what to say.

At least, that's how it seemed. Until they reached the auditorium.

"You two are _the_ biggest idiots in the world!" Bridgette exclaimed as soon as everyone had climbed onto the stage, turning and gesturing at them with wide eyes. She didn't seem as angry as Bree had, but she was ticked off, that was for sure._  
_

"Look, it's nothing. You guys are going to be able to go on stage without us. It's not that big a deal-" Haley tried to reassure her, but Ava cut in,

"It _is _a big deal," She said matter-of-factly, "This is our first performance, and two of our members aren't even going to be there. We're already unprepared, without losing two of you." She looked around at the group, as though this was a warning to them all. Jane opened her mouth to speak, but Haley had already burst out with a protest again,

"Fine then. If it's that terrible, we'll just skip it. Easy enough."

"No, you can't do that." Haley made a loud sound of ignorance at Bree's statement, but the pale blonde continued, "That will only get you in _more _trouble. Haven't you read the handbook? It specifically says that, and I quote, _'A student may be removed from a club at any time due to misbehavior or failure to follow the rules set by the school'_." She finished and again received an exasperated eye roll from the rebellious girl she was addressing. However, whatever protest Haley had been about to say was halted by Stevie, who had suddenly spoken up,

"I think Haley's idea is a good one." Every girl in the room turned to look at the normally quiet girl. A scheming look was on both her face and Emerald's, who was standing beside her. The black-haired teen continued, confidence seeming to grow now that she had everyone's attention, "But you're right, Bree. If they just skip it, they'll get in more trouble. But what if Mr. Jackson didn't know they skipped?"

Seeing the confused looks that passed across the faces of the students in the room, Emerald took a small step forward, beginning to explain, "We came up with a plan, you see. You two," She gestured at Jane and Haley, who had now quietened and was listening to the green-haired girl, "Show up for detention on Sunday, just like anyone else. But instead of staying, you're going to get out. How? Well someone, we'll just call them the decoy, is going to distract Mr. Jackson, drawing him away from the place and keeping him away. While the decoy is distracting him, you two get out of there and we go to the performance."

"Then, once we're done, you two get back that, snappily, and if everything goes to plan, he'll have no idea you were ever gone," Stevie finished,taking over from Emerald. For a moment, there was silence, everyone surprised at the two normally reserved girls' sneaky plan. Then, finally, Jane spoke up, using her voice for the first time since they had entered the auditorium,

"I like it. Looks like we have two things to rehearse now, right, girls?"

Everyone nodded and the room burst into chatter as the Cardinals prepared for both a performance, and a detention breakout.


	16. Escape and Arrival

"I hope you know why you're here."

Mr. Jackson's deep voice was almost out of place in the silent school as he addressed the two girls in front of him. Haley and Jane both kept their eyes to the ground, not wanting to meet their teacher's. Not because they felt guilty, of course, but because they were afraid that if they did they would break into giggles, the mere thought of what was to go on today reducing them to laughter.

The planning of the plan had gone brilliantly. Somehow, the thought of rebelling had made all the girls excited and they worked like a finely oiled machine, getting everything and everyone into place and order while still managing to pull together a performance. A damn fine one, if she did say so herself. The people at the fair would be blown away for sure. But for now, they had to deal with the wilting man in front of them, jaw already locked as he prepared for an afternoon of punishing.

"I'll take that as a yes," He continued on from his previous statement, turning and striding over to the door where a mop, bucket and broom awaited. "The last time I checked, the halls outside this classroom were absolutely disgusting. So today, you will be cleaning them," He said, grabbing the supplies. Then, seeing Haley's look of disgust and the argument resting on her tongue, her held up a hand and added firmly, "No questions asked."

Within a minute they were outside the hall, Jane left with the sweeping while Haley took the mopping. Mr. Jackson kept a careful watch over them from afar as the two teens mopped and swept, looks of discontent on their faces. Jane couldn't help but think he was enjoying it, watching them suffer while he sat, or in this case stood, back. Knowing him, he probably did. She got the feeling Haley was in the state of mind, judging by the daggers she kept shooting him every chance she got. If looks could kill, Mr. Jackson would've been riddled with bullets by now.

This unusually dark thought had just crossed her mind when it begun. The first sign, a large bang coming from a nearby corridor.

The breakout had begun.

"What was that?" Mr. Jackson asked aloud, as if the two girls would know the answer. They just ignored him, silently basking in the joyful thought that it would only get worse. And sure enough, it did. More bangs rang out, seemingly coming from all ends of the school and soon enough the teacher was spinning around, brow furrowed with confusion as the school around him made noises similar to that of a fireworks display. They had a small echo to them as well which added to the effect, and Jane couldn't help but wonder if that had been on purpose.

Then the smell hit them. Oh, god, the _smell. _She had never smelt anything like it, and it didn't seem like Haley or Mr. Jackson had either. Within moments they were coughing and covering their faces with their clothing as a putrid stench floated throughout the room, twisting around and around them like vines. "What...is...that?!" He repeated between coughs, but his question was never answered. Because at that moment a mucky grey cloud of smoke appeared around the corner, blinding them from anything else within moments. The girls moved fast, apparently.

"Go time," Jane heard Haley say in a low voice to her and she felt a warm hand grasp her arm. She let herself be dragged away, stumbling and coughing through the smoke. The loudspeaker above them suddenly clicked on and a loud, female voice boomed out, "Run, run, bunny, run." The two girls in the corridor had to refrain from laughing as Mr. Jackson huffed in annoyance and the loud-speaker voice laughed at their own joke. However, this was more than a joke. This was a codeword, one that told Haley and Jane that the coast was clear. They could leave. And sure enough a large, lighter patch began to grow in the smoke. Bigger and bigger it got until it was the size and shape of the school's large, double-door entrance way.

They were out the door before you could say 'gone'. The last thing they heard?

"Run, run, bunny, run!"

* * *

"Excellent!"

"Total success."

"That was awesome!"

These were just some of the words of praise and excitement that filled the bus as the Cardinals made their way to the Fair, all of them gathered in a loose bunch near the end of the vehicle. Thank goodness the driver wasn't too nosy, otherwise he would have grown suspicious of their odd conversation. Worse still, he might have told a teacher. But they needn't worry about that, Ava had reassured them. She knew the guy and had told him that whatever he heard was to be kept top secret, no matter what. She had told him something about other choirs infiltrating, apparently.

"By the way, nice smoke bomb, Emerald. How'd you do that?" Melody asked, as into the conversation as ever. She was leaning forwards on her seat, chocolate eyes wide as they scrutinized the green-haired girl in question.

"A little science experiment I did a few years ago," She replied, shrugging as if it was nothing. Stevie chuckled.

"Science experiment, sure," She shook her head, before turning to Bree. "If anything, you were the one that did the science experiment. I never knew you could make that noise by mixing such simple stuff together."

The pale-skinned blonde smirked, "Neither did my English teacher last year. 'Till she tried to mess with me, that is."

Haley laughed loudly from her seat slightly apart from the main group, "I never knew you were such a rebel. I think I might like you a little more. But that stays on this bus, or my fist may have an unscheduled meeting with someone's face."

Slightly nervous laughter filled the bus, but they all knew Haley was saying it in good humor. Hopefully. Thankfully, the bus happened to stop before they could continue any further with their conversation. "Time to get off, girls!" The driver called, the doors opening with a hiss. Grabbing their bags, the Cardinals got up.

"Ready to go?" Bridgette yelled, tone peppy and encouraging. A loud 'Yes!" chorused out from them all and, one by one, each of them got off the bus.

The mismatched Cardinals, despite all their bickering and craziness, had finally made it to their first show. And boy, were they excited.


End file.
